Russian President Putin stated on the 7th that both Russia and the US are interested in holding a summit between the two heads of state, and the United Arab Emirates is one of the suitable places for the meeting.
After meeting with the visiting UAE President Mohamed, Putin told the media that Russia has many friends willing to help arrange a Russia-US summit, and the UAE President is one of them. The Russian side will make a decision, and "the UAE is indeed one of the absolutely suitable locations."
When asked about the possibility of a Russia-Ukraine presidential meeting, Putin said he has repeatedly stated that in general he is not opposed to it and that such a meeting is possible, "but certain conditions need to be created for this. Unfortunately, we are still far from establishing those conditions."
In addition, Russian Presidential Assistant Ushakov told the media that, based on a proposal from the US side, Russia and the US have agreed in principle to hold a summit between their leaders in the near future.
He said that the location for this meeting has basically been agreed upon. As for the timing, both sides have previously discussed the option of holding the summit next week, and Russia has a rather positive attitude toward this option.
Trump: Meeting with Putin Not Premised on Russia-Ukraine President Meeting
Meanwhile, Trump said on the 7th that even if the Russian leader has not yet met with Ukrainian President Zelensky, he will still meet with Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine.
When asked in the Oval Office whether Putin needs to meet with Zelensky before meeting with him, he said, "No, he doesn't need to. They both want to meet with me, and I will do my best to stop the killing."
When asked by the media whether the deadline given to Russia is still valid, Trump did not give a clear answer.
He said, "It depends on (Putin)'s decision. We'll see what he says."