Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman wanted Volodymyr Zelensky to be present at the talks on February 18. However, the American and Russian sides insisted on the meeting without the Ukrainians.
This is reported by Bloomberg.
The bilateral meeting in Riyadh has heightened concerns about the US leader Donald Trumpʼs rapprochement with Russia, the publication writes. After the talks, the Ukrainian president was supposed to visit the country, but he unexpectedly postponed his visit.
During a joint conversation with journalists with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Zelensky said that he had postponed the visit to March 10, 2025. He once again noted that the negotiations in the Arab country came as a "surprise" for the Ukrainian side.
Mohammed bin Salman plans to brief the Ukrainian leader about the kingdomʼs role in organizing the negotiations and about his conversations with officials in Moscow and Washington.
- On February 18, Russia and the United States held their first talks in Saudi Arabia. No specific date has been agreed upon for the meeting between Putin and Trump, which is unlikely to take place next week. However, the parties agreed to create negotiating groups to end the war in Ukraine.
- Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Turkey should be involved in negotiations to end the war and develop security guarantees.
- Kyiv will not recognize the results of the US-Russia dialogue in Saudi Arabia, as it does not accept the possibility of any negotiations without Ukraineʼs participation, the president said.
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