MOSCOW: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions said.

Trump has said he will end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible and said he is ready to meet with Putin. Putin congratulated Trump on his election and stated he is ready to meet Trump to discuss Ukraine and energy.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied any direct contacts with the US about preparations for a phone call between Trump and Putin, which would precede an eventual meeting later this year. However, senior Russian officials have visited both Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent weeks, according to the Russian sources.

One source said there was still some opposition to the idea in Russia as some diplomats and intelligence officials were pointing to the close military and security links that both the Kingdom and the UAE have with the United States.

But both Trump and Putin have developed friendly relations with rulers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Trump said on Sunday that his administration had “meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia.” When asked about those remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that contacts were ‘apparently planned’.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was the first foreign head of state Trump called after taking office. He described the Crown Prince as “a fantastic guy” during his speech via video link to an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Putin, who visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2023, said last September that he was grateful to Mohammed bin Salman for helping to organise the biggest US-Russian prisoner swap since the Cold War.

Putin and Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MbS, have fostered a close personal relationship since 2015 when the prince visited Russia for the first time.

Putin and MbS

The relationship has helped the leaders of the world’s two biggest oil exporters conclude and maintain the Opec+ energy deal. Trump called on Saudi Arabia and Opec to lower oil prices, a potential bargaining chip for Russia in the talks.

Both Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have maintained neutrality throughout the Ukraine war, refraining from joining the West in criticising and sanctioning Russia. Both leaders have also maintained regular contacts with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Russia several times during the war, saying during his last visit in Oct 2024 that he was ready to support efforts to find peace in Ukraine. The UAE also successfully mediated prisoner exchanges.

Neither country is a member of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin, preventing his visits to a number of countries, including Brazil and South Africa. At the current stage, the Russian sources dismissed Turkiye, a Nato member that hosted failed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in March 2022, as a possible venue.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2025