US President Donald Trump noted that he might meet with Vladimir Putin “very soon,” expressing his belief that the Russian leader genuinely wishes to halt the conflict in Ukraine.
“No date is set, but it could be quite soon,” Mr. Trump informed reporters, shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio attempted to temper expectations regarding forthcoming high-level discussions in Riyadh aimed at concluding the war.
As Mr. Rubio prepares to lead an American delegation to talks with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia’s capital in the coming days, a surge of diplomatic activity is occurring as the severe Ukraine war approaches its third anniversary.
Addressing reporters after a flight on Air Force One, Mr. Trump mentioned that his team has been engaging “long and hard” with Russian officials, including his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who he indicated recently met with Mr. Putin for approximately three hours.
When asked if he believes Mr. Putin intends to take control of all of Ukraine, Mr. Trump responded: “That was my question to him.”
“If he’s going to continue… that could create a significant problem for me,” Mr. Trump added.
“I believe he wants to bring it to a close, and they desire to resolve it quickly. Both of them,” he remarked, including “Zelensky wants to end it too.”
The third anniversary of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine will be observed on 24 February.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his concerns that Russia is preparing to “wage war” against a weakened NATO if Mr. Trump diminishes US support for the alliance.
The US president appeared to downplay Mr. Zelensky’s comments, telling reporters he was “not even a little bit” worried about the Ukrainian leader’s statements.
The Republican has consistently claimed he could resolve the Ukraine conflict in a single day if he regained the presidency; however, Mr. Rubio emphasized that resolving such a lengthy, violent, and complex conflict would “not be easy.”
“Achieving peace is not a matter of just one meeting,” the top US diplomat stated in an interview with CBS at the Munich Security Conference.
‘Nothing’ finalized
Mr. Rubio is expected to lead a high-level US team to Riyadh, but it is still uncertain whether Ukrainian representatives will participate. Rubio mentioned he was unsure about who Moscow would send.
“Nothing’s been finalized yet,” he acknowledged, adding that the goal was to create an opportunity for a broader discussion that “would include Ukraine and lead to an end to the war.”
The leaders had a comprehensive phone conversation in which they agreed to initiate ceasefire negotiations immediately.
The call was unexpected for NATO allies and Ukraine, with Mr. Zelensky insisting that there should be “no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
“Currently, there is no process,” stated Mr. Rubio, who conversed by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“One phone call does not equate to peace.”
In an NBC interview, Mr. Zelensky described the Russian leader as a habitual liar and untrustworthy as a negotiating counterpart.
“In geopolitics, I believe no one should fully trust anyone,” Mr. Rubio remarked.
“The coming weeks and days will determine whether (Mr. Putin) is sincere or not.”
