Two Russian officials familiar with the talks told Reuters that Russia is considering Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as potential locations for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
Trump has stated that he is prepared to meet with Putin and that he will put an immediate end to the conflict in Ukraine. Putin said he was prepared to meet with Trump to talk about Ukraine and energy, congratulating him on winning the election.
Russian authorities have denied on numerous occasions that they had direct communication with the United States over plans for Trump and Putin to speak over the phone before meeting later this year.
According to one source, the concept was still met with some resistance in Russia since some diplomats and intelligence officials were highlighting the tight military and security ties between the United States and the Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
However, Trump and Putin have cultivated cordial ties with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Requests for comment from the UAE and Saudi Arabia were not answered. Kremlin officials declined to respond.
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