The Ukrainian president expressed on Monday that his country was not invited to the upcoming talks and that he would not accept the results if Kyiv did not participate. According to Zelenskyy, the discussions between the United States and Russia would yield no results without the presence of Ukrainian officials, he stated during a conference call with journalists from the United Arab Emirates.
Zelenskyy also pointed out that his scheduled trip to Turkey and Saudi Arabia was not linked to the talks between the United States and Russia. For their part, officials from the European Union have advocated for the inclusion of the bloc in any peace dialogue regarding Ukraine, supporting Kyiv. Zelenskyy and his team insist that Europe must be present in the negotiations.
Regarding potential European participation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov showed disdain on the matter. Concerning the expectations of the talks in Riyadh, he mentioned that Trump and Putin agreed to resume dialogue on all relevant issues.
The Ukrainian president has confirmed the arrival of Trump's special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, retired General Keith Kellogg, to discuss security guarantees. Zelenskyy expressed the need for guarantees, such as NATO membership, weapons, and economic support to prevent a possible Russian invasion in the future, despite the U.S. Secretary of Defense dismissing Ukraine's NATO membership as realistic.
Additionally, the possible expansion of contacts between the United States and Russia has been mentioned, nearly three years after the war that has weakened relations between the two powers. The situation has led European nations to convene emergency meetings to decide how to respond.
The focus of the meeting between the United States and Russia in Saudi Arabia will be on restoring bilateral relations and preparing for possible discussions to resolve the Ukrainian issue. Trump, after initiating a phone call with Putin, mentioned that the respective teams should begin negotiations immediately. Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from regions annexed by Russia and refrain from joining NATO as conditions for a peace agreement, demands that have thus far been rejected by Kyiv.
