Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 12 that his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to negotiate an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"We'll meet in Saudi Arabia," Trump told reporters at the White House, according to AFP. His statement came just hours after he revealed that the two leaders had spoken by telephone and agreed to immediately begin peace talks regarding Ukraine.
Trump added that he did not believe Ukraine joining NATO was practical and doubted that the country would regain all of its territory. His remarks came as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Feb. 12 that expecting Ukraine to restore its 2014 borders in any negotiations with Moscow was unrealistic.
The announcement marks a significant shift in diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow. The decision to hold negotiations without Ukraine's direct involvement has raised concerns about Kyiv’s role in shaping its own future.
The extent of Ukrainian participation in the talks remains unclear.
Oleg Sukhov
Trump’s approach signals a renewed push to broker a resolution to the ongoing war; however, neither the Kremlin nor the White House has provided further details on the timing or agenda of the meeting.
In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump said that both he and Vladimir Putin agreed that "we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the two leaders spoke for 90 minutes, during which Putin extended an invitation for Trump to visit Moscow.
Trump also announced that he had instructed a team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, to lead the negotiations.
According to Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Rubio will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 14 to begin official peace negotiations.
"I just spoke to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The conversation went very well. He, like President Putin, wants to make peace. We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the war, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the delegation," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Kyiv Independent
(Updated: )
