President Trump said Wednesday that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia as part of a series of talks aimed at ending the long-running war in Ukraine.
“The first time we are going to meet in Saudi Arabia to see if we can get something done,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We want to end that war. That war is a disaster, really bloody, horrible.”
The president implied that the meeting was facilitated by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
“We know the Crown Prince and it would, I think, be a very good place to meet,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump did not say when the meeting could take place, beyond saying in the “not too distant future.” He said it would be part of a series of conversations that would include him traveling to Moscow and Mr. Putin visiting Washington.
“We expect that he’ll come here and I’ll go there,” Mr. Trump said.
The meeting would be a major turning point in the relationship between the U.S. and Russia. President Biden had an in-person meeting with Mr. Putin in June 2021 but had not spoken directly with Mr. Putin since February 2022, just before Russian forces invaded eastern Ukraine.
That invasion essentially froze ties between the two nations. In March 2022, Mr. Biden declared that Mr. Putin “cannot remain in power.” The White House later walked back his remarks.
Mr. Biden also imposed heavy sanctions on Russia and repeatedly said that he wouldn’t talk with Mr. Putin until Russia pulled out of Ukraine.
Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart. It was the first publicly disclosed call between the two leaders since Mr. Trump returned to the White House.
Mr. Trump described the roughly 90-minute call as “lengthy and highly productive.” The call focused on the Ukraine war but also touched on the Middle East.
After his talk with Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump also spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House said.
Mr.Trump said on social media the call went well and that both Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Putin want peace in Ukraine.
Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Mr. Zelenskyy in Munich on Friday.
Mr. Trump said he can see Russia and Ukraine coming to a ceasefire deal at some point “in the not-too-distant future.”
When asked if he would support Ukraine giving up territory in order to get the war to end, Mr. Trump said Mr. Zelenskyy would have “to do what he has to do.”
Asked about Ukraine not joining NATO, he said he agrees that it’s probably impractical for Ukraine to join the military alliance. The move is vehemently opposed by Mr. Putin.
“And I’m OK with that,” he said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the administration views Russia as “a great competitor,” but also “an adversary.”
“This nation views Putin and Russia as a great competitor in the region, at times an adversary,” she said. “But as the president has said as well, he enjoys having good diplomatic relations with leaders around the world.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.