As Russian and American delegations prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia’s capital to discuss a settlement to the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made it clear that Ukraine was neither informed nor invited to the negotiating table.
And Ukraine will not recognize any agreements made about it without its direct involvement, Zelensky said.
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“Ukraine will not participate. Ukraine knew nothing about this,” Zelensky told reporters, as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine. “Any negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine have no result. We cannot recognize any agreements about us without us, and we won’t recognize such deals.”
The first round of talks between the US and Russia about Ukraine is set to begin in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, CNN reported, citing “multiple sources.”
As reported by Meduza, Zelensky is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia on Tuesday following a visit to the United Arab Emirates, but the trip “has not connection with the things that are happening in Saudi Arabia at the level of representatives of the United States and Russia.”
US President Donald Trump had said Sunday that he wanted to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and that he believed his Russian counterpart – who began his full-scale invasion of Ukraine close to three years ago – genuinely wants to stop the fighting.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the talks between Washington and Moscow are preliminary and the “real negotiations” will include Ukraine and Europe.
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A day earlier, Keith Kellogg – the American special envoy to Ukraine and Russia – had claimed that European countries, aside from the two warring nations, would most likely be consulted – but ultimately be excluded from negotiations.
However, speaking to American broadcaster CBS News, Rubio said Ukraine – and other European countries – would eventually be brought into talks.
“Ultimately, it will reach a point when you are — if it’s real negotiations, and we’re not there yet, but if that were to happen, 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, and they’ve contributed to this effort,” he said.
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