Ongoing contacts with Trump, details to be determined, Kremlin says

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “Details need to be worked out. In their telephone conversation yesterday, the heads of state agreed to continue contacts with a focus on a separate meeting and agreed to immediately instruct their respective deputies. Now the work will start quickly; it will be necessary to wait for the determination of such details as where and when the meeting will be held.”

Peskov later said in an interview with Channel One that the preparation of such a meeting could take weeks or even months, and that Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, could be a suitable venue, but no decision has yet been taken.

Peskov said, “Riyadh was raised as a possible venue during the meeting. President Trump said after the meeting that he supports Saudi Arabia as a partner state. It is also known that Putin has very good relations with the Crown Prince. On one occasion, they even spent hours discussing world problems. This is a country with which we have very constructive cooperation in various fields. In this respect, Riyadh is convenient for both countries.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held their first official telephone conversation after a long break a day ago. Putin invited Trump to Moscow, and the presidents agreed to “maintain personal contacts, including the organization of personal meetings,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

Peskov did not comment on whether this was the first meeting of the presidents since Trump’s reelection but said it was “extremely important.”

According to Peskov’s statement, Putin and Trump have invited each other, but there is no concreteness on this issue yet, and “exchanging mutual invitations is one thing, focusing on a separate bilateral meeting is different processes.”

“Certainly, there is a need for a meeting to take place quickly enough. The heads of state have a lot to talk about; many issues mentioned in yesterday’s telephone conversation are on the agenda. But it is not yet possible to talk about dates because work will begin these days,” Peskov said.

After the conversation, Putin and Trump agreed that the Ukrainian conflict can be resolved through peace talks and that Russia and the United States have the political will to hold a dialogue.

Peskov also said that there was no understanding yet on Europe’s participation in the negotiation process. On the question of China’s involvement in the negotiations, he called for patience.

Ukraine will be part of the negotiating process for the settlement of the conflict, the spokesman said.

Asked whether Ukraine’s full participation in the negotiations is being considered, Peskov said: “One way or another, Ukraine will of course participate in the negotiations. There will be both a bilateral Russia-US way of this dialogue and a way with Ukraine’s participation.”