BREAKING NEWS: The United States and Russia begin peace talks in Saudi Arabia without Ukraine’s participation.
U.S. and Russian officials will meet this week in Saudi Arabia to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, without direct participation from Kyiv or European leaders. This decision has sparked controversy and concern within the international community.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, will lead the U.S. delegation in the talks in Riyadh.
“The world should celebrate that we have a U.S. president who does not seek to start wars, but to END them.»
These meetings come after a phone call between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in which they agreed to initiate negotiations to end the conflict that has devastated Ukraine.
The exclusion of Ukraine and European leaders from these talks has drawn criticism and concerns. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reiterated that he will not accept any peace agreement negotiated without his country’s participation.
In a statement to NBC, Zelensky said: «I would never accept any decision between the United States and Russia regarding Ukraine, never.»
Meanwhile, alarmed by their exclusion, European leaders will hold an emergency meeting in Paris to coordinate a joint response. The French president has summoned his counterparts from the European Union, the United Kingdom, the European Commission, and NATO to discuss the situation and ensure that European interests are considered in any future agreement.
The U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, justified the exclusion of Europe and Ukraine from the initial talks, arguing that previous negotiations failed due to the participation of too many parties. However, Rubio assured that both Europe and Ukraine would be invited to the peace talks once discussions become serious and Moscow’s true intentions are assessed.
This unilateral U.S. approach has caused transatlantic tensions. The German vice chancellor criticized Trump’s stance, calling it an abandonment of Western values.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, both the government and the public are watching these negotiations with concern. Kyiv’s exclusion from the talks that will determine its future has been met with skepticism and distrust. Zelensky has urged a unified stance between his country, the U.S., and Europe before any negotiations with Putin take place.
The international community is closely monitoring these developments, aware that the decisions made in Riyadh could redefine the geopolitical balance in Europe and beyond.
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