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Putin confirms upcoming Trump summit, suggests UAE as possible venue
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday confirmed upcoming high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump, saying that 'both sides had expressed interest' and suggested that the United Arab Emirates could be a potential venue.
The announcement followed a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with whom Putin reaffirmed deepening bilateral cooperation.
When asked who initiated the proposed Trump-Putin meeting, Putin emphasised that both parties had expressed interest and that who reached out first is now 'no longer relevant.'
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Regarding the venue, he named the UAE as a potential host, calling the country 'one of the suitable locations.'
'We have many friends willing to help organise such events. One of them is the President of the United Arab Emirates. The exact venue is still being decided, but the UAE would be one of the suitable options,' Putin told reporters.
On the possibility of including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the talks, Putin said, 'I have nothing against it in principle — but certain conditions must be met first. Unfortunately, we are still far from that point.'
Earlier in the day, Kremlin said President Putin and President Trump will meet in the coming days, as the US president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions.
The announcement came a day after Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, held three hours of talks with Putin in Moscow.
Meanwhile, President Putin held a meeting with President Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan in a sign of the ever-strengthening ties between the two countries.
Nahyan second visit to the country in less than a year, according to Emirati state media service WAM, was focused on the two countries' 'strategic partnership' and on 'ways to enhance cooperation, particularly in the economic, trade, investment, energy, and other areas that serve joint development, in addition to regional and international issues of common interest.'
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The UAE is a longtime close ally of the United States and a major military and intelligence partner. It is also Russia's most important economic partner in the Middle East — and trade between the two has ballooned in recent years, particularly since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Abu Dhabi has not officially taken a side on the Russia-Ukraine war, instead calling for peace and an end to the fighting. It has also refused to partake in Western sanctions against Russia, providing a safe haven for Russian oligarchs and expatriates fleeing both sanctions and mandatory conscription.
Some 4,000 Russian businesses operate in the UAE, according to reports, and foreign direct investment between the two has steadily increased.
The UAE leader's visit also comes as the White House announced an upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin to discuss Ukraine war ceasefire efforts — and in the wake of Trump announcing punitive tariffs on India for importing Russian oil, which the American leader says is 'fuelling the war machine.'
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