Saudi Arabia Welcomes Trump-Putin Summit for Lasting Peace Between Moscow and Kyiv
On Friday, Saudi Arabia expressed its willingness to host a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to foster “lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs lauded the recent phone call between Trump and Putin on Wednesday, which announced the possibility of a summit in the Kingdom. A statement from the ministry said, “The Kingdom welcomes the holding of the summit on its soil and reaffirms its commitment to efforts aimed at achieving permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
Just two days ago, Trump announced that his first meeting with Putin would take place in Saudi Arabia as part of his efforts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, though no specific date was set.
Trump told reporters at the White House, “We will meet in Saudi Arabia,” following a phone conversation with Putin where they agreed to start peace negotiations regarding Ukraine. It’s worth noting that Saudi Arabia has sought to remain neutral in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
The Kingdom, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, maintains close ties with Russia, especially in oil policy, and has positioned itself as a potential mediator since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Concurrently, Saudi Arabia has kept strong relations with Kyiv, hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy multiple times, including at the Arab League Summit in Jeddah in May 2023, and a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in June last year.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also met Putin in Riyadh in December 2023.
Saudi Arabia has committed to providing hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including allocations for Ukrainian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries.
In September 2022, Riyadh played a significant role in securing the release of foreign fighters detained in Ukraine, including two from the United States and five from the UK.
Furthermore, in August 2023, Saudi Arabia hosted talks about the war, drawing representatives from over 40 countries, although Russia did not participate.
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