The U.S. helped Russian President Vladimir Putin to escape years of isolation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 19 in reference to recent U.S.-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia.
A U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Feb. 18 with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and Putin's top aide, Yuri Ushakov, to discuss an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The talks, which excluded Ukrainian representatives, marked the highest-level meeting between the U.S. and Russia since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
"The fact that they are discussing bilateral issues in Saudi Arabia is their right, but I believe that the U.S. helped Putin escape many years of isolation," Zelensky said during a press conference, adding that Ukraine is nevertheless "ready for anything."
Though the talks in Saudi Arabia concluded without specific decisions on ending the war, U.S. and Russian officials said the meeting was constructive and laid the ground for further discussion.
Trump also voiced his intent to meet with Putin in person, "probably" by the end of February. While Trump's predecessor, U.S. Joe Biden, has not met the Russian leader since the outbreak of the full-scale war, two European leaders – Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – separately met Putin in Moscow last year.
Rubio claimed on Feb. 16 that the Riyadh talks were an exploratory first step rather than official negotiations and that Ukraine and Europe would participate once the official discussions began.
Speaking at the press conference, Zelensky also referred to the Trump administration's supposed claims that "90% of aid comes from the U.S."
"We understand that the truth is a little different, although we are certainly grateful for the assistance. I would like there to be more truth in Trump's team," he added.
Ukraine's head of state refused claims that Washington has provided Kyiv with $500 billion in assistance since 2022, putting the figure at nearly $100 billion in military and financial support.
"I think that Putin and the Russians are very happy because issues are being discussed with them. Yesterday, there were signals that they were being regarded as victims. That is something new," Zelensky noted.
Speaking after the Riyadh talks, Trump voiced his belief that Russia wishes to end the war and laid the blame for the ongoing hostilities on Ukraine. He also falsely claimed that Zelensky has an approval rating of 4% and urged Ukraine to hold elections, a step not permitted by the country's constitution during a war.
A survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published on Feb. 19 put Zelensky's approval rating at 57% as of February. According to the latest poll from Reuters published Feb. 19, Trump’s own approval rating currently stands at 44%.
Chris York
