Russia and the US have begun preparations for a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump that is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yury Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, would travel to Riyadh to meet a US delegation and lay the groundwork for a presidential meeting.
Following the Kremlin’s announcement, US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced in a statement that “Secretary of State Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with the Russian delegation in Riyadh Tuesday”.
“Ukraine will not take part [in the talks],” Zelensky told journalists, commenting on the development.
Kiev “knew nothing” about Moscow and Washington’s plans, he stated, adding that the Ukrainian government would treat any talks “about Ukraine without Ukraine” as “null and void” and would not recognize their results.
Kiev will not take part in the US-Russian negotiations in Riyadh and considers them meaningless, Zelensky stressed.
The Ukrainian leader also admitted that Russia and the US have a “bilateral negotiation track” and have every right to talk in this format.
Peskov earlier told journalists that talks between Trump and Putin would also be devoted to the restoration of bilateral relations.
Commenting on the developments, Lavrov stated Putin and Trump had agreed to leave behind “an absolutely abnormal period” in bilateral relations, during which Moscow and Washington had barely communicated.
Zelensky also plans to visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. He denied that his trip is in any way linked to the upcoming Trump-Putin talks or the meeting of US and Russian delegations, but admitted that he would discuss the issue with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
