The United States and Russia are set to hold diplomatic talks next week in Saudi Arabia to lay the groundwork for a potential peace summit aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting, reported by Bloomberg, will involve national security advisors from both nations but notably excludes Ukraine from participation.
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he expects to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, possibly in Saudi Arabia, to discuss pathways to peace. Trump had separate phone calls with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier that day, during which both leaders reportedly expressed willingness to negotiate a peace deal.
Following the calls, Trump directed top U.S. officials to begin formal discussions on ending the war. Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, stated that Ukraine regaining its pre-2014 borders was an “unrealistic goal.”
The upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia are expected to prepare the foundation for a potential high-level summit between the U.S. and Russia. However, Ukraine’s exclusion from the preparatory meeting has raised concerns over the country’s role in shaping its own peace terms.
More details on the planned summit are expected in the coming weeks.