Apparently, the heads of US diplomacy are preparing a summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, according to reports from both governments. Now, there’s no fixed date for the summit just yet, but Trump mentioned earlier this week that it could potentially take place in Saudi Arabia, with the goal of putting an end to the war in Ukraine, as reported by EFE.
The call between the two countries was reportedly made at the initiative of Washington, and during the conversation, both parties “reaffirmed their willingness to collaborate to restore an interstate dialogue based on mutual respect,” as indicated by the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement. This is, you know, kind of a big deal, given the current tensions between the two nations. So, what does this mean, exactly? Well, for starters, both sides are expressing a willingness to work together on various international issues, including the conflict in Ukraine, the situation in Palestine, and other regional issues.
US Department of State Statement
The US Department of State released a statement explaining that, during the call, Rubio reaffirmed Trump’s commitment to finding a solution to the conflict in Ukraine. This announcement came just before Rubio arrived in Jerusalem, as part of a tour that will also take him to Saudi Arabia, where he’s expected to meet with Russian officials to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, according to CNN. Now, it’s worth noting that Rubio won’t be alone in these conversations – the National Security Advisor of the White House, Mike Waltz, and the envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will also be participating.
Russian Delegation
As for the Russian delegation, it could include some pretty high-ranking officials, such as Kirill Dmitriev, who played a key role in the recent exchange of prisoners between the two countries. You might recall that this was the exchange that involved the American professor Marc Fogel, who was arrested in Russia in 2021, and the Russian cybercrime suspect Alexander Vinnik.
The conversation between Trump and Putin, which took place after Trump spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelenski, was the first public contact between US presidents and Russia since February 2022, when Putin spoke with then-President Joe Biden before the start of the invasion of Ukraine. Following the call, Trump announced that he had reached an agreement with Putin to initiate “immediate negotiations” aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
In the days that followed, Trump kind of broke with the position maintained by the Biden government, stating that Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO isn’t “practical” and that it’s unlikely the country will recover all the territory occupied by Russia since 2014, including the Crimean Peninsula. These remarks have been seen as concessions to Moscow, and they’ve raised some eyebrows, to say the least.
European Union Response
Meanwhile, the French presidency has announced that there are “discussions ongoing” to hold an informal meeting of EU leaders in Paris to discuss support for Ukraine, at a time when the US has been sowing doubts about its own support for Kyiv. Now, the Élysée hasn’t confirmed the meeting just yet, but Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, revealed that his prime minister, Donald Tusk, will be heading to Paris on Monday at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
It’s worth noting that these rumors about the summit come as the Trump administration has been giving some pretty mixed signals about the war in Ukraine, which have been bothering and worrying Europeans. Trump has implied that a potential peace deal would involve an agreement between him and Putin, potentially leaving Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski and the EU out of the negotiations. This has raised some concerns, to put it mildly.
