US President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon,” indicating that the Russian leader genuinely wants to bring an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine. “No time set, but it could be very soon,” Trump said, speaking to reporters after a flight on Air Force One.
Trump’s remarks came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio worked to temper expectations for high-level talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where a US delegation is set to meet with Russian officials in the coming days. The ongoing diplomatic efforts come as the war in Ukraine approaches its third anniversary.
Trump mentioned that his team has been in close contact with Russian officials, including his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who recently spent three hours meeting with Putin. “I think he wants to stop fighting,” Trump stated when asked about the Russian leader’s intentions.
When asked whether he believes Putin intends to seize all of Ukraine, Trump recalled asking Putin the same question. “If he’s going to go on… that would have caused me a big problem,” Trump remarked. “I think he wants to end it, and they want to end it fast. Both of them,” he added, also noting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to see an end to the conflict as well.
Meanwhile, Zelensky warned on Sunday that Russia may target NATO if the US reduces its support for the alliance. Trump, however, dismissed these concerns, saying he was “not even a little bit” worried about Zelensky’s comments.
Trump has repeatedly promised to end the war in Ukraine in a single day if he were to return to the White House. However, Rubio, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, acknowledged that resolving the complex and bloody conflict would not be easy. “A process towards peace is not a one-meeting thing,” he said.
As the talks in Riyadh approach, Rubio confirmed that nothing has been finalized yet, including whether Ukraine would be involved. Rubio emphasized that the discussions are meant to explore possible openings for a broader conversation involving Ukraine and an end to the war. US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Witkoff are also expected to attend.
In the midst of the diplomatic efforts, Trump and Putin held a phone call on Wednesday in which they reportedly agreed to begin ceasefire negotiations. The call caught NATO allies and Kyiv off guard, with Zelensky stressing that there should be “no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
Rubio, who spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday, reminded reporters that “One phone call does not make peace.” Zelensky, in an interview with NBC, called Putin a “serial liar” and stressed that Russia could not be trusted in negotiations.
“Right now there is no process,” Rubio said. “The next few weeks and days will determine whether (Putin) is serious or not.”
