Trump team heading to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russia, Politico reports
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect comments from Ukrainian officials denying the country will send a delegation to Riyadh. A previous version of this article, citing Politico, reported that a Ukrainian delegation will be present at the meetings.
Senior U.S. officials are heading to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian representatives, Politico reported on Feb. 15, citing a Republican lawmaker and two U.S. officials familiar with the meeting.
Ukrainian officials later denied reports that a Ukrainian delegation would participate in the meeting, as was initially reported, adding that the announcement came as a surprise to Kyiv, and that there are no plans to send a Ukrainian delegation.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky, echoed comments from officials, stating that Ukraine will not 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."
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.
Trump has previously said he is ready to meet Putin in Saudi Arabia for peace talks.
The two unnamed U.S. officials did not provide to Politico specific details about timelines for the start of negotiation. However, Mike McCaul, a Republican congressman confirmed to Politico that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will joining State Secretary in Riyadh in the coming days.
U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg will not be present. The official is currently at the top European security conference and is expected to visit Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Western leaders attended the Munich Security Conference focused on Ukraine.
During a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, Zelensky said that Ukraine was "ready to move towards real and guaranteed peace as quickly as possible."
"We sincerely appreciate President Trump's determination to help stop the war and provide Ukraine with justice and security guarantees," Zelensky added.
European officials will not be present at the upcoming peace talks in Saudi Arabia, U.S. officials said, echoing previous statements by Kellogg.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference earlier in the day, Kellogg said that Europe will not be directly involved in negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine, but its interests will be considered.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the details of the upcoming meetings in Riyadh amid the conflicting reports.
Dmytro Basmat
