President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced on Feb. 18 that he had postponed his go to to Saudi Arabia amid talks between Russia and the USA.
"We weren’t invited to this Russian-American assembly in Saudi Arabia. It was a shock for us. I don't need any coincidences, so I'm not going to Saudi Arabia," Zelensky stated throughout a briefing following a gathering with Turkish President Recep Erdogan.
The talks in Saudi Arabia mark the primary direct negotiations between the U.S. and Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion started. Russia's delegation, led by Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov, met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and different officers.
Zelensky reiterated that no choices about Ukraine's future might be made with out Kyiv's involvement. He additionally stated he expects U.S. officers to go to Ukraine, confirming that Trump's particular envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will arrive in Kyiv on Feb. 19.
"Any nation has a bilateral monitor with different international locations. Please, you possibly can focus on something, however you possibly can't decide on how one can finish the conflict in Ukraine with out Ukraine," Zelensky stated.
The president additionally introduced that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and rescheduled his go to to Riyadh for Mar. 10.
In a Feb. 17 interview with German media community ARD, Zelensky warned in opposition to a rapidly negotiated peace deal and reaffirmed that Ukraine wouldn’t settle for an settlement brokered with out its participation.
It stays unclear to what extent Ukraine can be concerned in future discussions between Washington and Moscow.
The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova