Putin-Trump Rendezvous Likely to be in the UAE Soon

Following his meeting with President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on August 7, during which the two countries affirmed their commitment to double their bilateral trade in five years (presently it is USD11.5 billion), Russian President Vladimir Putin interacted briefly with the media.

In response to a question, Putin said that a meeting between him and President Donald Trump was likely to happen as both sides want it. While the date and place of the meeting was yet not decided, Putin said, “We have many friends willing to help organise such events. One of them is the President of the United Arab Emirates... the UAE would be one of the suitable options (for the meeting)”.

On the possibility of meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin said, “I have said repeatedly that I have no objection to meeting with him in principle—it is possible. But certain conditions must be met first. Unfortunately, we are still far from that point.”

Earlier in the day, Putin met Indian national security advisor Ajit Doval, who was in Kremlin to hold a talk with secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Sergey Shoigu. The two sides discussed ways to further strengthen the Russia-India strategic partnership, emphasising upon the importance of joint efforts in preparation for the bilateral summit to be hosted by India end of this year.