Serbia Offers Itself as Venue for Trump-Putin Summit

Serbia has officially offered itself as a venue for a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said this, stating that the Balkan country “is essentially a sovereign and independent state, it is not only formally outside any blocs, as some other states offering to host such a meeting, but it is outside both military blocs, namely NATO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization of the former Soviet republics. According to Vucic, “Serbia is fully prepared to provide maximum security for both presidents.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said he is ready to meet with Donald Trump after his official inauguration on January 20 “without any preconditions.” According to Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, “President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are preparing to establish contacts for the summit.”

And proposals for an upcoming Russia – USA summit are coming from both sides. Trump, speaking at his Florida residence, confirmed that “preparations are underway to meet with the Russian president.” He expressed confidence that “President Putin wants us to see each other. He also said it publicly, and we need to meet. That’s why,” Trump added, “we’re getting organized.”