US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine peace talks after a surprise phone call between the two leaders.

The US president, in their first confirmed contact since his return to the White House, said he had held a lengthy and highly productive conversation with his Russian counterpart, who ordered the bloody 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

However, the move prompted concerns that Ukraine will be left out of talks on its own fate, after Trump said Kyiv’s wish to join NATO was not practical, a key demand of Moscow.

The US president, who has been pushing for a quick end to the nearly three-year war, denied that Ukraine was being excluded from the direct negotiations between the two nuclear-armed superpowers.

“We expect that he’ll come here, and I’ll go there, and we’re going to meet probably in Saudi Arabia the first time,” Trump said.

He further stated that he expected it to happen very soon, adding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who played a key role in a Russia-US prisoner exchange this week, would also be involved.

The Kremlin said the call between the two world leaders lasted nearly one and a half hours, adding that they had agreed that the time has come to work together.

DAILY POST recalls that Trump, before taking office on January 20, had promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours.

Russia vs Ukraine: Trump, Putin set to meet in Saudi Arabia