Trump commented on a possible meeting with Putin

American leader Donald Trump announced on April 23 that he was unlikely to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia, but their contact could occur after this trip.

"It's possible, but probably not. I think the meeting will take place after this trip," the US president told reporters during a press conference at the White House.

In addition, the American leader added that during his visit to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, he plans many meetings. At the same time, he clarified that he did not know whether President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky would go there.

"I don't know. I do not know if he will go to the pope's funeral, but I hope that he will sort this matter out," Trump replied to a question about a possible meeting with Zelensky in Rome.

The White House confirmed Witkoff's visit to Russia this week.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on April 23 that Putin and Trump agree that the refusal of dialogue is absurd. According to him, the meeting of the presidents should be productive, preparatory work is underway in this regard.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said on April 22 that the American leader would visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during a trip to the Middle East from May 13 to 16.