The US-Russia talks to end the Ukraine war will begin in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, according to a report. The US will be represented by its top diplomat Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Ambassador to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
The talks come nearly a month after Donald Trump took over as US President. The high-level talks will be a preparation for the Trump-Vladimir Putin summit expected to happen soon in the Kingdom. The meeting is seen as a significant step in thawing the relations between the two countries, and the follow-up of the conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House has also tasked the US delegation with securing a date for the meeting before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts on February 28.
There is still uncertainty over who will lead the Russian delegation to Saudi. Sources told Axios that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent the Kremlin, but there is no official confirmation yet. Russian media also speculated that Lavrov will be in attendance in Saudi Arabia.
JUST IN: 🇺🇦 President Zelensky says "I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine. Never."
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) February 16, 2025
This follows Ukraine not receiving an invitation to attend peace talks in Saudi Arabia with Russian and US officials next week. pic.twitter.com/QwSZUAbS4y
Interestingly, the talks are happening without the participation of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, they are yet to receive an invitation for the meeting. He said it was "strange" that the meeting was being held before Kyiv held consultations with their strategic partners. However, Witkoff told reporters that "Ukraine is part of the talks". "I don't think it is about excluding anybody. It's about including everybody," he added.
Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svirydenko said on Facebook that a Ukrainian government delegation had arrived in the kingdom. "here will be dozens of meetings in the coming days to prepare Volodomyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Saudi Arabia,” she stated. The delegation aims to strengthen economic ties and lay the groundwork to sign important economic agreements with countries in the region," she added.
The US has also not notified its European partners about the war. Rubio in an interview said that the EU leaders will be notified when "real negotiations" begin.
