Moscow says efforts are underway to arrange a meeting between Trump and Putin
Arranging a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump would mark the first time the two heads of state have sat down together since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov announced on Feb. 22 that Moscow is working to organize a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Trump.
Ryabkov stated that preparations for the meeting have commenced, emphasizing the need for extensive preparatory work.
He mentioned that U.S. and Russian officials may meet within the next two weeks to set the stage for the eventual talks between the two leaders.
If the meeting between Washington and Moscow materializes, it will be the first direct interaction between a U.S. president and a Russian president since June 2021, when Putin met with then-President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland.
This meeting would also be the first in-person encounter between the leaders of the United States and Russia since Russian troops entered Ukraine three years ago, further escalating the conflict.
The conflict in Ukraine has strained U.S.–Russia relations, with the United States being a major supporter of Ukraine, providing significant financial aid to Kyiv throughout the conflict.
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The Trump administration is working to improve U.S.–Russia relations by combining negotiations for peace in Ukraine with broader diplomatic efforts.
A U.S. delegation consisting of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz, and special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff met with a Russian delegation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 18 to continue efforts to establish regular dialogue with Moscow.
Following the Riyadh meeting, Rubio announced that both delegations had agreed to appoint high-level teams to collaborate on resolving the Ukraine conflict and to create a mechanism to address tensions in U.S.–Russia relations and explore possible cooperation on shared interests.
Rubio emphasized that cooperation between the United States and Russia on geopolitical and economic matters hinges on a successful peace settlement in Ukraine.
In an interview on Feb. 20, Rubio stated that a meeting between Trump and Putin will depend on making progress in ending the war in Ukraine.
During a press briefing on Feb. 21, Trump addressed his remarks about Zelenskyy and discussed the need for direct engagement between Putin and Zelenskyy to achieve a peace settlement.
Trump also denied reports that he plans to visit Moscow to meet with Putin on May 9.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
