U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will "probably" meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month, signaling a potential shift in diplomatic efforts concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Speaking at a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump downplayed concerns from Ukraine about being excluded from U.S.-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia, asserting that Kyiv had ample time to resolve the conflict.

"Today I heard, 'Oh, we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years, you should have ended it ... you should have never started it. You could have made a deal," Trump stated, implying that Ukraine had missed opportunities for diplomatic resolution in the past.

On the subject of European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, Trump said he had no objections to their presence, but clarified that the U.S. would not participate in any deployment.

"Having troops over there would be fine, I wouldn’t object to it at all," he said. "But we're very far away," he added, ruling out direct U.S. involvement.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Washington and Moscow had reached an agreement on four key principles following extensive negotiations in Saudi Arabia. Among the agreements was the creation of a high-level diplomatic team to help facilitate an "enduring and acceptable" resolution to the conflict for all parties involved.

The ongoing talks, as well as Trump's potential meeting with Putin, mark a notable shift in U.S.-Russia relations, which have remained tense since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. If the meeting takes place, it will be one of the most high-profile engagements between the two leaders since Trump took office in January.

Further details on the meeting’s timing and agenda remain unclear. However, with diplomatic discussions accelerating, global attention is now focused on whether these negotiations will lead to a breakthrough in the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war. (ILKHA)