Putin says UAE could host Trump meeting amid Ukraine peace deal talks

Dubai: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday named the UAE as a potential host for an upcoming summit with US President Donald Trump.

“We have many friends who are willing to help us organise such events. One of them is the President of the United Arab Emirates,” Putin said in Moscow, standing beside UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“It [the UAE] would be one of the quite suitable places,” he said, according to AFP and AP news agencies.

Asked who initiated the proposed talks, Putin said it didn’t matter, noting that “both sides expressed an interest.”

However, when asked about meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin said the necessary “conditions” were not in place. “I have nothing against it in general — it is possible — but certain conditions must be created. Unfortunately, we are still far from that,” he said.

A Kremlin official earlier suggested the Trump-Putin meeting could take place as soon as next week. The announcement came on the eve of a White House deadline for Moscow to show progress on ending the three-year war in Ukraine.

Although Putin said the UAE was one possible venue, no location or other details had been determined Thursday morning, according to a White House official.

The meeting would be the first US-Russia summit since 2021, when former President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva. It would be a significant milestone toward Trump’s effort to end the war, although there’s no guarantee it would stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.

The UAE has played a key role as mediator this year, facilitating the exchange of hundreds of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine — efforts publicly praised by both Putin and Zelensky.

In June, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, met Putin in Minsk on behalf of the UAE President and attended the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council summit.

Earlier yesterday, the UAE President arrived in Moscow on an official visit to Russia. Upon entering Russian airspace, Shaikh Mohamed’s plane was welcomed and escorted by military aircraft.

Shaikh Mohamed was accorded an official reception following his arrival at Vnukovo Airport, where the national anthems of the UAE and Russia were played. An honour guard was assembled for the UAE President, who greeted senior officials lined up in welcome.

Shaikh Mohamed is accompanied by a delegation that includes Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; Shaikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Adviser to the UAE President; Ali Bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of Supreme Council for National Security; Dr Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Dr Thani Bin Ahmad Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade; Mohammad Hassan Al Suwaidi, Minister of Investment; Ahmad Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State; Faisal Abdulaziz Al Bannai, Adviser to the President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs; Dr Ahmad Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the President’s Office for Strategic Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office; and Dr Mohammad Ahmad Al Jaber, UAE Ambassador to the Russian Federation, along with a number of senior officials.