High-level diplomatic efforts intensify amid Ukraine war
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he could meet “very soon” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, raising expectations for potential diplomatic breakthroughs as high-level negotiations loom in Saudi Arabia.
“No time set, but it could be very soon,” Trump told reporters, just hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio tempered expectations regarding imminent high-level discussions in Riyadh aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Rubio is set to lead a U.S. delegation to Saudi Arabia, where American and Russian officials are expected to engage in talks. The discussions come as the war in Ukraine nears its third anniversary, with both sides engaged in intensive diplomatic maneuvering.
Trump asserts Putin’s desire to end conflict
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump emphasized that his administration had been in extensive discussions with Russian officials. He specifically noted that his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently held a three-hour meeting with Putin.
“I think he wants to stop fighting,” Trump said of Putin. When asked if he believed Putin intended to seize all of Ukraine, Trump responded, “That was my question to him.”
“If he’s going to go on… that would have caused me a big problem,” Trump added. “I think he wants to end it, and they want to end it fast. Both of them.” He also stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “wants to end it too.”
Zelensky raises NATO concerns
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, warned that Russia might be preparing to “wage war” against a weakened NATO if Trump scales back U.S. support for the alliance.
Trump dismissed Zelensky’s concerns, saying he was “not even a little bit” troubled by the Ukrainian leader’s remarks.
The former president has long claimed that he could end the Ukraine conflict “in a single day” if re-elected. However, Rubio cautioned that resolving such a complex and prolonged war would not be a swift process.
“A process towards peace is not a one-meeting thing,” Rubio said in an interview with CBS during the Munich Security Conference.
Uncertainty surrounds Saudi talks
While Rubio is set to lead the U.S. delegation to Riyadh, details of the discussions remain unclear. It is uncertain whether Ukraine will have any representation, and Rubio himself noted that he was unsure which officials Moscow planned to send.
“Nothing’s been finalized yet,” he stated, adding that the goal is to create a framework for broader negotiations that “would include Ukraine and would involve the end of the war.”
Both Witkoff and U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz are expected to participate in the talks.
Putin-Trump phone call blindsides NATO and Kyiv
Trump and Putin held an extensive phone conversation on Wednesday, during which they reportedly agreed to initiate ceasefire discussions. The unexpected nature of the call caught NATO allies and Kyiv off guard, with Zelensky reiterating that “there should be no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
“Right now there is no process,” Rubio emphasized, referencing his own call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday. “One phone call does not make peace.”
In a Sunday interview with NBC, Zelensky asserted that Putin is a “serial liar” and cannot be trusted in negotiations.
Rubio, when asked about Zelensky’s remarks, responded: “I don’t think in geopolitics, anyone should trust anyone.”
“The next few weeks and days will determine whether (Putin) is serious or not,” he added.