Trump says US, Ukraine, Russia to meet in Saudi Arabia next week

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Top officials from the US, Ukraine and Russia will meet next week for talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the Kremlin's war on its eastern European neighbor, US President Donald Trump said Thursday.

Trump said the leaders of the countries will not be in attendance, instead sending senior representatives to carry out the talks.

He said a "very good" call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday "went a long way toward getting a solution to the horrible war, where so many people are being killed, especially soldiers on the battlefield."

"We're going to see if we can end that war. That war is a horrible war. It's a vicious, bloody war. We want to end it," Trump said as he hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Just hours earlier, Trump said he trusts Putin and said he believes the Russian leader wants peace with Ukraine.

"I believe that President Putin, when I spoke to him yesterday, I know him very well. Yeah, I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn't," he said.

His remarks came a day after he held separate phone calls with Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to end the Russia-Ukraine war.