The long-awaited meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine could take place as early as next week, perhaps in the United Arab Emirates . The Kremlin has opened a window of opportunity, while still closing the door on the possibility of a three-way summit with Volodymyr Zelensky , who insists on seeking direct negotiations with the Russian president.

Yesterday, Trump had already hinted at a possible "short-term" meeting with Putin, the first since his return to the White House in January. Today, the Kremlin opened the deal: "At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement in principle has been reached to hold a bilateral summit in the coming days," diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov announced. According to Moscow, the meeting could take place "next week."

Perhaps in the United Arab Emirates, as Putin himself suggested. "We have many friends willing to help us organize this type of event. One of them is the president of the United Arab Emirates. I think we will decide, but this would be one of the most appropriate locations," the Russian president said after a meeting in the Kremlin with his Emirati counterpart, Mohammed bin Zayed.

However, Moscow is not currently considering a three-way meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelensky, a format proposed by Washington . "I have nothing against it; it's possible, but certain conditions must be met for it to happen. Unfortunately, we are still far from these conditions," Putin himself said.

For his part, Zelensky reiterated the need for a face-to-face meeting with his Russian counterpart, a "very clear priority" for Kiev, but a format that Moscow considers only the final stage of a peace agreement. The Ukrainian president also insisted that Europeans be included in the peace negotiations on Ukraine , from which they have so far been excluded despite attempts by Paris, Berlin, and London to influence them.

This sudden diplomatic acceleration comes after the visit to Moscow by US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. Trump had resumed contact with Putin, hoping to quickly end the Russian offensive in Ukraine launched in 2022, but in recent weeks he has shown growing frustration, issuing an ultimatum to Russia, demanding it reach an agreement with Ukraine to avoid heavy sanctions. The ultimatum expires tomorrow . It is unclear whether, given the diplomatic efforts of the last few hours, this ultimatum is still in effect.

Also because nothing suggests that Russia has abandoned its conditions for ending the aggression. It demands that Ukraine cede four partially occupied regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson), as well as Crimea annexed in 2014, and renounce Western arms supplies and any NATO membership . These conditions Kiev deems unacceptable.

(Unioneonline)

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