High-ranking officials from the Trump administration are scheduled to meet with senior Russian representatives in Saudi Arabia shortly to initiate discussions aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine, a source informed UJ on Saturday.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to participate, according to two sources familiar with the arrangements.
The sources did not disclose which Russian officials would be attending. However, UJ has previously reported that the Kremlin is putting together a high-level negotiation team to facilitate direct discussions with the US, comprising prominent political, intelligence, and economic leaders.
Background: President Donald Trump stated earlier this week that negotiations to conclude the nearly three-year-long war in Ukraine would commence “immediately” following a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This conversation, which was the first known exchange between the presidents since Trump took office last month, came as Trump expressed a desire to achieve a swift resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
Zelensky’s Warnings: At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned that the era of guaranteed US support for Europe has ended.
“The past is behind us — when America supported Europe merely because it had always done so,” he further remarked.
In an interview with UJ’s Christiane Amanpour at the security conference, Zelensky expressed his dissatisfaction that Trump’s first call was with Putin. He cautioned that it would be even “more hazardous” if Trump were to meet with the Russian president before engaging with him.
Ukrainians have expressed to UJ their concerns that any ceasefire facilitated by Trump could involve significant concessions to Russia along with insincere promises.
European Leaders Observing from a Distance: Zelensky’s cautionary statement came just hours before Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration’s envoy for Russia-Ukraine relations, conveyed at the same conference that European negotiators would not be included in the peace discussions.
Kellogg acknowledged that the positions of the Europeans would be acknowledged but disparaged the notion that they would actively participate in discussions, asserting that this was one of the primary reasons for his presence in Munich.
The recent Trump-Putin phone call is being viewed as a significant juncture in US-European relations.
