Trump & Putin to meet in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine peace talks. Is Zelenskyy being left out?

US President Donald Trump announced that he is expected to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine peace talks. On Wednesday, Trump said that he had a telephone conversation with the Russian leader and attempted to thaw the raging war which is close to its third anniversary.

The phone call was the first confirmed contact between Trump and Putin since he returned to the White House. While speaking on the matter, the POTUS said that he had held a “lengthy and highly productive” conversation with the Russian counterpart. In the past, Trump has claimed that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours if he comes back to the White House.

The president denied the allegations that Ukraine was being left out in the cold by the direct negotiations between the two nuclear-armed superpowers. “We expect that he’ll come here, and I’ll go there – and we’re going to meet probably in Saudi Arabia the first time,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office about his plans to meet Putin.

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The Republican firebrand noted that the meeting is expected to happen “in the not too distant future” and added that Saudi Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman – who played a key role in a Russia-US prisoner exchange this week – would also be involved. Meanwhile, the Kremlin commented on the call between the two leaders.

They maintained that the phone conversation between Trump and Putin lasted for nearly one-and-a-half hours. Putin and Trump had agreed that the “time has come to work together” and that the Russian leader has invited his US counterpart to Moscow, it said.

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Trump fans peace talks

On Wednesday, Trump shocked the world after he suddenly announced on TruthSocial that both he and Putin had “both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia/Ukraine”, using an unconfirmed figure for the toll in the conflict.

Trump maintained that he and Putin had agreed to “work together very closely, including visiting each other’s nations” and to “have our respective teams start negotiations immediately” on Ukraine. A few hours later, he went on to call Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not included in the call with Putin.

The Ukrainian leader eventually released his own statement in which he maintained that he had a “meaningful” call with Trump in which he had “shared details” of his talks with Putin. Meanwhile, after the conversation with Zelenskyy, Trump said that like Putin, Zelenskyy also “wants to make PEACE”.

But at what cost?

Many are concerned about the fact that at what cost Ukraine will ultimately get the peace. Earlier, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told European counterparts that Ukraine’s dream of returning to its pre-2014 borders was an “illusionary goal” – and that Kyiv’s wish for Nato membership was “not realistic”.

Meanwhile, Trump made it clear that Zelenskyy is not being frozen out of the talks. He also added that the war-stricken nation’s Nato membership is also an “impractical” idea. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leader is calling for tough security guarantees from Washington as part of any deal with Russia. Trump on the other hand suggested a deal for Kyiv’s rare earth minerals in exchange for its continued military aid.

Zelenskyy is due to meet US Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Feb 14 at the Munich Security Conference, after meeting US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kyiv on Feb 12.