Russian officials have cited Saudi Arabia and the UAE as possible venues for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a Monday Reuters report. The report comes after Trump confirmed on Sunday that his administration had “meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia.” Additionally, senior Russian diplomatic officials recently made trips to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but the Kremlin is reportedly concerned about hosting a meeting there, given both Gulf states’ close ties to American miliary and intelligence services. But Moscow has recently ruled out the possibility of European nations hosting such a summit, given the arrest warrant previously issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Russian side will also seek out a more ‘neutral’ venue. “Almost the entire west is involved on the side of Ukraine. Therefore, all the traditional venues where such things used to take place, like Helsinki, Geneva, and Vienna, are not suitable,” Russian analyst Fyodor Lukyanov was previously quoted in TASS as saying. But these potential Gulf venues remain a strong possibility given that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MbZ) have generally good relations with both Presidents […]