The possibility of meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was discussed today (07/08) by Vladimir Putin during statements he made following talks with the President of the United Arab Emirates at the Kremlin. Specifically, Putin said characteristically: “I have already said many times that I have nothing against a meeting with Zelenskyy, it is possible” however he clarified that certain preconditions must first be created, which are not currently met and we are far from creating them.
It is worth noting that Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked Putin to hold direct negotiations, something that the Russian leader and the Kremlin have categorically rejected. Furthermore, a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting is one of the conditions that Trump has set for his Russian counterpart in order to conduct talks between them.
Additionally, Putin referred to the possibility of meeting with the American president, characteristically saying that the United Arab Emirates is a suitable location for a Russia-US Summit to take place.
Why the Emirates meeting is likely
The choice of the Emirates is not at all coincidental, as the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against the Russian president since 2023 leaves little room and choices for the venue of Trump-Putin talks.
Specifically, the 123 contracting states – members of the International Criminal Court are obligated to arrest Vladimir Putin and transfer him to The Hague, should he enter their territory.
Exceptions are countries such as the US, Russia, China, Israel and India. Also, an option is Saudi Arabia, which has ambitions to become an important diplomatic player, having hosted the Russian leader in March 2025, when he met with the country’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who is also particularly favored by the American president, as was evident in Trump’s meeting with the Saudi leader in mid-May last year.
On the other hand, Turkey has also played a mediating role between Ukraine and Russia since the start of the Russian invasion, having hosted several rounds of negotiations between the two sides.
However, the United Arab Emirates also maintains friendly relations with both countries and constitutes, as Putin emphasized, a suitable place for bilateral talks.
