Putin and Trump Agree on Venue for Bilateral Meeting

The venue for the planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, has been agreed upon, Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov announced Thursday.

Speaking to the press, Ushakov stated that “at the proposal of the U.S. side, it was agreed in principle to hold in the coming days a bilateral meeting at the highest level, that is, between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.” He added that “the location has also been agreed upon, and we will announce it later.”

Ushakov revealed that during his visit to Moscow, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff suggested the possibility of a trilateral meeting that would also include the leader of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky. Moscow, however, declined to comment on the proposal.

On Wednesday, the U.S. president had told reporters there was “a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon” with Putin. Referring to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said, “There is a strong possibility that we are finally putting an end to it,” although he acknowledged the process “was and remains long.”

On Thursday, the Russian president indicated that his next meeting with Trump could take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). When asked about a potential venue, Putin noted there were “many friends willing to help us organize such events.” He added, “One of those friends is the president of the United Arab Emirates,” saying the UAE “would be one of the suitable places” for the meeting.

Putin made these remarks after meeting with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is in Moscow on an official visit.

The Russian leader reiterated the mutual interest in advancing negotiations: “There was interest on both sides. Which side said the first word no longer matters.”