Putin says UAE possible place for Trump summit; stresses 'conditions' to meet Zelensky has not been met

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (August 7) said that a suitable place to hold a meeting with US President Donald Trump will be the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This comes after Russian president Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill A Dmitriev confirmed that he will meet Trump next week.

Putin-Trump talks ahead of the deadline to agree on a ceasefire in Ukraine or face sweeping sanctions on Friday. Earlier in the day, Russian foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said that, at the suggestion of the American side, it has been agreed in principle to hold a bilateral meeting at the highest level in the coming days.

Putin, while standing next to UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahya, said, "We have many friends who are willing to help us organise such events. One of our friends is the president of the United Arab Emirates."

He added that the UAE would be one of the most suitable places for a meeting with Trump.

Earlier, Trump hinted that he could meet Russian President Putin as soon as next week to discuss the war in Ukraine. The White House also said that Trump is “open” to the idea of a meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

As Russia confirmed the Putin-Trump summit, it also dismissed Trump's proposal for a three-way summit involving Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump.

'Zelensky meeting possible, but...'

Russian President Putin further said that the conditions for a potential meeting with Zelensky had not been met. This comes hours after Zelensky called for direct talks with Russia.

"I have nothing against it in general, it is possible, but certain conditions must be created for this. But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions," Putin told reporters at the Kremlin.

Earlier in June, Putin said that he was ready to meet Zelensky, but only during a "final phase" of negotiations on ending the more than three-year conflict.