Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Kyiv would not accept any peace agreement concluded without his participation.
High -level discussions started on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia between American and Russian officials, in order to improve links and start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
This meeting in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, is the first discussion in person between senior officials of the two countries since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his total invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.
The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrovand Mr. Putin’s advisor for foreign affairs, Iouri Ouchakovshould meet the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubiothe national security advisor, Mike Waltzand the special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
This meeting comes as US President Donald Trump has turned upside years of foreign policy from the United States towards Russia by calling Vladimir Putin last Wednesday, and both said that both had agreed to start negotiations .
A swirling week of speeches by US officials followed, during which it appeared that the United States was apparently not interested in the main peace requests from Ukraine – including its long -standing ambitions at the NATO – and that European leaders would havenot immediately A seat at the negotiating table.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that kyiv would not recognizeNo peace agreement concluded without its participation.
“”We cannot recognize any agreement concerning us without us“Said Mr. Zelensky, adding that Ukraine had not been informed of Riyadh talks.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitri Peskovsaid that the meeting would be devoted to “Preparation of possible negotiations on the settlement of the Ukrainian question and the organization of a meeting between the two presidents“.
Before the meeting, Kirill Dmitriev, director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which, according to the Kremlin, could also participate in the meeting, said: “Good relations between the United States and Russia are very important to the whole world. It is only together that Russia and the United States can attack many global problems, solve global conflicts and propose solutions“.
Zelensky said that he would also go to Saudi Arabia during a video briefing on Monday, while stressing that his visit was not linked to peace talks between Russia and the United States.
Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, the ex general Keith Kelloggshould also visit Mr. Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday.
In response to the rapid negotiations which seemed to take place without Europe, the French president Emmanuel Macron summoned an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday with other European leaders.
At the end of this meeting, they promised to maintain their support for Ukraine, but did not provide any concrete guarantee in terms of security, including the potential idea of sending peacekeeping troops on The front line.
This is a story under development and our journalists work on additional updates.
