 "Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. File Photo")
As top US officials head to Saudi Arabia to hold talks with their Russian counterparts, it is being reported that Ukraine has not been invited to the talks aimed at ending the three-year-old war.
BBC reported, citing a government source, that neither Ukraine is invited to the talks nor Kyiv is planning to send officials.
This comes even as US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, earlier claimed that Kyiv would be involved in the negotiations.
White House insists on Kyiv’s involvement
However, while talking to Fox News, White House’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff asserted that Ukraine would indeed be part of the talks.
He is one of the few US officials who are set to travel to Saudi Arabia tonight (February 16). Initial talks between US and Russian officials are set to take place in coming days.
“Ukraine is part of the talks,” said Witkoff, without confirming whether Kyiv representative would also be there in Saudi Arabia.
Apart from Witkoff, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected to reach Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, he embarked on his first West Asia tour as the secretary of state and held talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Rubio is expected to meet Sergey Lavrov, his Russian counterpart, in Saudi Arabia.
Rubio earlier said “the next few days” will determine if Vladimir Putin is serious about peace.
However, the top US official added that “one meeting is not going to solve” the war.
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More Shorts“What we have right now is a call between President Putin and President Trump, in which both sides expressed an interest in ending this conflict,” Rubio said.
Zelenskyy’s warning
While talking to NBC News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday reiterated that his nation won’t accept any peace deal reached without Kyiv being at the table.
“I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine, never,” said the Ukrainian leader.
“This is the war in Ukraine, against us, and it’s our human losses,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)