Official denies Ukraine will participate in Russia-US meeting in Saudi Arabia
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky, denied on Feb. 15 that Ukraine will participate in an upcoming meeting between Russia and the United States in Saudi Arabia.
"There is nothing on the negotiating table that would be worth discussing," Podolyak said on Ukrainian TV, adding that "Russia is not ready for negotiations."
Podolyak's comments come amid conflicting reports that Russian and Ukrainian representatives are set to join senior U.S. officials in Riyadh for peace talks.
Politico reported on Feb. 15, citing a Republican lawmaker and two U.S. officials familiar with the meeting, that talks between the representatives of all three countries are set to begin in the coming days.
The publication later updated the story to note that a Ukrainian official confirmed to Politico that the meeting's announcement came as a surprise to Kyiv and there are no plans to send a Ukrainian delegation.
Bloomberg reported on Feb. 15 that the talks in Saudi Arabia will only include U.S. and Russian officials as a means to pave the way for a potential leaders’ summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month.
Following a phone call he held with Putin, Trump previously said he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia for peace talks.
Podolyak's comments seemingly echo statements made earlier in the day by Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference.
"We didn't talk about it. The media printed something. I saw that someone said that there would be a meeting in Saudi Arabia. I do not know what it is," Zelensky said.
During his comments on Ukrainian TV, Podolyak said that Russia is set to use their presence at the negotiating table to secure an "operational pause to reconfigure its army" as well as gain leverage over the situation while attempting to ease sanctions on the country.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the details of the upcoming meetings in Riyadh amid the conflicting reports.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
