A U.S. delegation is set to meet with its Russian counterparts on Feb. 18 in Saudi Arabia, Axios reported on Feb. 16, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the meeting.
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. It was not immediately clear as to who will be a part of the Russian delegation, although one source told Axios that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was likely to attend.
Concerns have been raised about Ukraine's role in the negotiations, with European officials emphasizing that Kyiv must not be sidelined. Kyiv has not received an invitation to attend the meeting in Riyadh, with President Volodymyr Zelensky telling reporters that he found out about the meetings through media reports.
"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 on Feb. 15 during the Munich Security Conference.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to 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."
NBC News reported on Feb. 16, citing two U.S. officials, that the intention is for the U.S. to host a bilateral meeting with Russia, followed by a bilateral meeting with Ukraine, and culminating with talks together.
U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Feb. 16 that Zelensky would have a say in the process and mentioned the possibility of allowing European nations to purchase U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine. Rubio echoed similar comments stating that Ukraine and Europe must play a role in serious negotiations with the U.S. and Russia to end the war.
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.
The upcoming meetings come amid an official visit by Zelensky to the United Arab Emirates, with planned trips to Saudi Arabia and Turkey in the coming days.
Zelensky said he has no plans to meet with any Russian or U.S. delegations while in the Middle East.
Olena Goncharova
