US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he anticipates multiple in-person meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the first likely to take place in Saudi Arabia. “We ultimately expect to meet,” Trump said in the Oval Office while speaking to reporters. “In fact, we expect that he’ll come here, and I’ll go there, and we’re going to meet also, probably in Saudi Arabia. The first time we’ll meet in Saudi Arabia.” While the exact timing of these meetings remains uncertain, Trump suggested they would occur “not in the too distant future.” His remarks came just hours after a phone call with Putin, their first publicly disclosed conversation since Trump assumed office. It came as the Trump administration continues efforts to broker a resolution to the ongoing war in Ukraine. According to Trump, the discussion covered various topics but centered primarily on efforts to negotiate a resolution to the war in Ukraine. After speaking with Putin, Trump also held a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump pledged during his election campaign to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a close within "24 hours" of taking power. Last month, Zelenskyy expressed optimism that Trump's "unpredictability" could play a key role in ending his country’s ongoing war with Russia. "He's very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see President Trump's unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war," Zelensky said at the time. Related articles: One dead in Ukrainian attack on Moscow Is Russia planning to attack another European country? Ukrainian Jews remain hopeful amid tensions with Washington Zelenskyy’s contradictions on the global stage Previously, there were tensions between the two men. Last July, Zelenskyy responded to Trump’s claims on ending the war and said that his desire to end the war “should be based on some real-life experience. However, after Trump was elected to a second term in the White House, Zelenskyy issued a statement in which he congratulated Trump and said he appreciated Trump’s commitment to peace through strength.
