President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted Turkey's previous mediation efforts, including the Black Sea grain deal, which enabled Ukrainian agricultural exports until Russia withdrew in 2023.
The alleged plan, which reportedly includes a ceasefire, elections in Ukraine, and a final peace agreement, was revealed by Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich on X.
"We were not invited to this Russian-American meeting in Saudi Arabia. It was a surprise for us. I don't want any coincidences, so I'm not going to Saudi Arabia," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to Russia's President Vladimir Putin, said it was a "very serious discussion of all the issues we wanted to touch upon."
"If you don't invest, if you're not strong, they handle you like kids," Armin Papperger said.
Though the U.S. and Russia are meeting without Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky will also head to Saudi Arabia this week.
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned against a hastily negotiated peace deal from the Trump administration during a wide-ranging interview with German media network ARD on Feb. 17, reaffirming that Ukraine would not accept a peace deal negotiated without the country's involvement.
Key developments on Feb. 17: * Russia's Lavrov rules out territorial concessions as part of Ukraine peace talks * Ukraine strikes Ilsky Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, SBU source says * Up to 30,000 European troops reportedly could be deployed to monitor Ukraine ceasefire, Washington Post reports * Zelensky hopes Kellogg will
Presidential Office Deputy Head Ihor Zhovkva stressed the urgency of appointing a European representative, saying, "It should be a quickly made decision. I hope right after the Paris meeting. We should act, not reflect."
According to the publication, the estimated troop numbers emerged in response to a U.S. questionnaire sent to European countries asking them to assess their capabilities to support Kyiv.
The Ukrainian president's visit coincides with the U.S.-Russia talks on ending the war in Ukraine, which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. delegation will be led by State Secretary Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Ukraine will "never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia" regarding the outcome of peace negotiation without Ukraine's participation, President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News in an interview published Feb. 16.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 16 that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin "wants to stop fighting" Russia's war in Ukraine, dismissing Moscow's territorial ambitions in the embattled country.
The delegation, led by State Secretary Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, is set to begin negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
The U.S. delegates in Munich did not offer any security guarantees in exchange for Ukraine's rare earth minerals, current and former senior Ukrainian officials said.
Delegations from Saudi Arabia and Ukraine met on Feb. 16 to discuss increased economic ties, ahead of a planned visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Key developments on Feb. 15-16: * US wants to get 50% of Ukrainian minerals, may deploy its troops to guard them, NBC reports * Almost 250,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine war, Zelensky says * Russia must withdraw to at least pre-2022 front line, Zelensky says * Europe quietly developing plan to send
"Ukraine will have to be involved, because they're the one that were invaded, and the Europeans will have to be involved because they have sanctions on Putin and Russia as well," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
"If there is a negotiating table, I think we need to do something similar to what was done in Kosovo. Europe needs to have a special envoy," Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Feb. 16 at the Munich Security Conference.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 15 that success “already feels possible” as his administration begins working on negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump’s team to end the war.
The U.S. has asked European countries to outline their potential security and peacekeeping contributions to Ukraine as part of any future peace negotiations with Russia, the Financial Times reported on Feb. 15, citing undisclosed sources.
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.
U.S. Deputy Assistant State Secretary Christopher W. Smith visited Belarus alongside two other U.S. officials in an unannounced meeting on Feb. 12, the New York Times reported, potentially ending Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's isolation from the West.
"Both sides expressed a mutual willingness to engage on key international issues, including the situation in Ukraine," the readout from the Russian Foreign Ministry read. "Lavrov and Rubio reaffirmed their readiness to work together to restore a mutually respectful interstate dialogue in line with the tone set by the presidents."
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, attended a panel discussion during the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15 where he called for the the U.S. to implement additional sanctions on Russia's "shadow fleet," while also calling for concessions from both countries to secure a peace deal.
Ukraine is not yet ready to sign a mineral resource agreement with the United States, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a news conference at the Munich Security Conference, stating that the agreement "was not ready to protect" Ukraine and its interests.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Kellogg mentioned the Minsk II deal of 2015, saying that it involved "a lot of people" but didn't work out.
President Volodymyr Zelensky hasn't yet signed the document, calling it "a memorandum," not a security agreement.
"Let's be clear: We cannot rule out the possibility that America may refuse to cooperate with Europe on issues that threaten it," Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference.
The two leaders discussed how European partners can coordinate with the U.S. and Ukraine to bring about a just peace, particularly focusing on "security guarantees and proposals of France."
Even though Vance refused to say that deploying U.S. troops in Ukraine was off the table, he later accused the outlet of "twisting (his) words."
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