Payam Javan: A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump is set to take place in the coming days, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. This will be the first summit between the leaders of the two nations since 2021, a period marked by a significant downturn in relations following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The announcement comes after a recent meeting between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow.

Ushakov stated that an agreement for a bilateral meeting has “essentially been reached” and that concrete preparations are now underway. He noted that while next week is the target, no date is yet confirmed. The specific location of the summit remains unannounced, but sources have previously suggested the United Arab Emirates as a potential venue. Putin is scheduled to meet with the UAE’s president later today.

While discussing the upcoming summit, Ushakov also addressed a proposal from the American side for a three-way meeting that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. He stated that the Russian side left this suggestion “completely without comment,” emphasizing that the priority is a successful and productive bilateral meeting with Trump. The last U.S.-Russia summit took place in Geneva in June 2021, when Putin met with then-President Joe Biden.