Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Monday, the Kremlin inquired about a potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia, stating that such a meeting is essential, although Putin has no scheduled trips to the Middle East for mid-May.
Since his summit with Joe Biden in Geneva in June 2021, Putin has not met with any sitting U.S. president. However, he and Trump have had several phone conversations this year while the U.S. leader attempts to mediate a resolution to the war.
Trump, who promised to quickly negotiate an end to the Ukraine war soon after returning to office, mentioned over the weekend that he and his advisors have held “very good discussions” regarding Russia and Ukraine in recent days.
Why does the Kremlin view talks as necessary?
As reported by Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked by reporters about Trump’s remarks regarding a potential meeting with Putin during his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, stated that the Kremlin leader does not have a scheduled visit there. However, he noted that
“such a meeting is clearly on everyone’s lips.”
“And in many ways we think it is certainly necessary,”
Peskov said.
“It has to be prepared accordingly and it requires efforts at various expert levels,”
Including continued contacts between Moscow and Washington, he also said.
“But so far there are no specifics on this.”
What is the goal of Trump’s Middle East tour?
According to Axios, President Trump is anticipated to convene a summit with leaders from Gulf states during his trip to Saudi Arabia in mid-May. From May 13 to 16, Trump is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a tour in the Middle East that emphasizes defense, investment, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, according to the news website.
According to the report, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman intends to invite the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations to Riyadh for the summit scheduled on May 14. The GCC consists of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. An Arab official mentioned to Axios that currently, there are no plans to invite additional Arab leaders, though this situation may evolve.
While visiting, Trump is anticipated to address arms agreements and economic collaborations, among various topics. The Pentagon revealed the State Department’s endorsement of a prospective $3.5 billion sale of AIM-120C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia.
