President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Feb. 18 that he had postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia amid talks between Russia and the United States.
"We were not invited to this Russian-American meeting in Saudi Arabia. It was a surprise for us. I don't want any coincidences, so I'm not going to Saudi Arabia," Zelensky said during a briefing following a meeting with Turkish President Recep Erdogan.
The talks in Saudi Arabia mark the first direct negotiations between the U.S. and Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion began. Russia's delegation, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials.
Zelensky reiterated that no decisions about Ukraine's future can be made without Kyiv's involvement. He also said he expects U.S. officials to visit Ukraine, confirming that Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will arrive in Kyiv on Feb. 19.
"Any country has a bilateral track with other countries. Please, you can discuss anything, but you can't make a decision on how to end the war in Ukraine without Ukraine," Zelensky said.
The president also announced that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and rescheduled his visit to Riyadh for Mar. 10.
In a Feb. 17 interview with German media network ARD, Zelensky warned against a hastily negotiated peace deal and reaffirmed that Ukraine would not accept an agreement brokered without its participation.
It remains unclear to what extent Ukraine will be involved in future discussions between Washington and Moscow.
Kateryna Hodunova
