Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, could meet by the end of February, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced. While he expressed optimism about the timing, Peskov cautioned that arranging such a high-level meeting may take longer.
The remarks follow a pivotal round of talks held on Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led delegations from both nations. The meeting marked the first direct dialogue between Washington and Moscow in nearly three years, with the aim of reestablishing bilateral relations that have been strained under the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden.
The discussions focused primarily on a roadmap to restore ties, beginning with the “resuscitation” of relations and eventually moving toward full restoration. The meeting also touched upon the ongoing Ukraine conflict and the potential for a summit between Presidents Putin and Trump, which would be the first of its kind since the 2021 summit between Putin and then-President Joe Biden in Geneva.
Peskov confirmed that the two leaders might meet by the end of the month, though he suggested that the details could take longer to finalize. “Maybe. Or maybe not,” Peskov replied when asked about the likelihood of a Trump-Putin summit in February.
Lavrov hailed the Riyadh talks as a “very, very important step” toward resolving the Ukraine conflict. He emphasized that although progress had been made, the road to a solution remains long and challenging. Following the talks, Lavrov noted that both sides had worked “quite successfully” and that the discussions had been fruitful, with both Russian and American delegates actively listening and understanding each other.
Trump, in a separate statement, expressed newfound confidence in his ability to broker a deal to end the Ukraine war. He dismissed concerns that Ukraine might be excluded from future talks, expressing disappointment with Kyiv for its inability to reach an agreement with Moscow sooner.
“Probably,” Trump said in response to questions during a press conference, when asked whether he expected to meet Putin before the end of the month.
Although the specifics of a potential summit remain unclear, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio provided a cautious update on the talks, stating that no date had been set for the proposed Trump-Putin meeting to discuss Ukraine.
