U.S.-Russia talks on Ukraine crisis set to begin in Saudi Arabia

The United States and Russia will begin talks on the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, CNN reported on Sunday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are expected to represent the U.S. at the talks. According to the China Media Group (CMG), Russia is forming a high-level negotiation team, comprising senior political, intelligence and economic figures. The identities of the Russian officials attending the talks have not yet been confirmed. 

A Saudi official told CNN the country would be involved in a mediation role as well as hosting the negotiations. The Saudi team is set to be led by the country's national security adviser.

Ukrainian and European officials have not been invited to Saudi Arabia for the discussions. However, a "dual-track" set of negotiations will take place in Kyiv this week, according to Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration's Russia-Ukraine envoy. 

On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukrainians would be involved in the negotiations, and Rubio stated that if initial talks move in a positive direction, both Ukraine and Europe will participate in the talks. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is currently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to discuss economic cooperation. He is expected to visit Saudi Arabia soon, where he will sign economic agreements with various countries in the region, Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Sunday.

Just days before Svyrydenko's announcement, Zelenskyy told reporters at the Munich Security Conference that he plans to visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Türkiye but has no intention of meeting with any Russian or U.S. delegations in these countries. "I will not meet with Russians, and I will not meet with Americans there," he said.

As the U.S. and Russia prepare to meet, European leaders have been scrambling to align with U.S. plans after Kellogg's statement that Europe would not be participating in peace talks. 

Kellogg contended that the failure of the new Minsk Agreement, signed in 2015, was largely due to the lack of capacity among those involved in the negotiations to implement a peace process, and said the U.S. wouldn't repeat past mistakes. The parties involved in the 2015 Minsk Agreement negotiations were Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France.

In response, the European side immediately expressed opposition. 

The Elysée Palace announced that French President Emmanuel Macron would hold a meeting on Monday with heads of government from Germany, the UK, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as the president of the European Council, the president of the European Commission and the secretary-general of NATO.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday he was "ready and willing" to deploy British troops in Ukraine to enforce a peace deal if necessary. Writing in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Starmer called on European nations to increase their defense spending and "take on a greater role in NATO," but emphasized that U.S. support remains critical for ensuring peace.  

Starmer also stated he would meet with Trump and other G7 allies in the coming days to secure a robust agreement.