Vladimir Putin has insisted that “no one is excluding Ukraine” from peace negotiations, brushing aside concerns and warning against what he called a “hysterical” reaction to talks held between U.S. and Russian officials yesterday in Saudi Arabia.
The Russian president reiterated his willingness to engage in peace talks with Ukraine. “We are not imposing anything on anyone. We are ready, I have already said this a hundred times—if they want, please let these negotiations take place and we will be ready to return to the table.”
His remarks came after U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss potential pathways to ending the war in Ukraine. Secretary Rubio confirmed that an initial framework for restarting bilateral relations with the U.S. had been reached, with discussions centering on four key components.
“The goal of this meeting was precisely to increase trust between Russia and the United States,” said Putin.
Putin also revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump had assured him Ukraine would be included in future negotiations. Trump, speaking yesterday from Mar-a-Lago, hinted that he could meet with Putin “this month.”
Putin, for his part, signaled openness to meeting the U.S. president following their phone call last week, but he cautioned that such a summit would require careful preparation.
Meanwhile, Trump did not hold back in his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, questioning his legitimacy given that his term in office expired in 2024 and no election has been held due to martial law.
In response, Zelenskyy fired back from Kyiv, accusing Trump of living in a “disinformation bubble.”
