Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine "won't recognize" the upcoming Russia-U.S. talks in Saudi Arabia.
During a press conference on February 17, the leader said he did not know about the peace discussions that will take place without Ukraine in the Middle East and added that Kyiv "will not accept" this, according to Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine.
Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for comment via email outside of business hours.
Why It Matters
European allies recently criticized the U.S. for sidelining Kyiv. Leaders from U.K., Lithuania, Germany, and more have pushed for Ukraine to have a seat at the table during peace negotiations and alleged that the U.S. has made concessions to Russia before those talks have officially begun.
What To Know
The Kremlin announced on Monday that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov will meet with their U.S. counterparts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to conduct peace talks without Ukraine on Tuesday.
In response to this news, Zelensky said: "Ukraine will not accept. Ukraine knew nothing about this. And Ukraine regards any negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine as having no results."
Zelensky added: "We cannot recognize any things or agreements about us without us. And we will not recognize such agreements. Surely, there is a bilateral track there. And the U.S. has the right to do so if they have bilateral issues. To be honest, they talked about it before. Only now have they started talking publicly. Back then, it was like bad manners—to talk to an aggressor during wartime."
Zelensky reiterated the idea that Ukraine will not accept decisions about its future without being present during discussions in a sit-down interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker.
The discussions between Russia and the U.S. will be focused on reviving U.S.-Russia relations, discussing potential negotiations on Ukraine, and preparing for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The U.S. officials scheduled to attend the meeting include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
The Ukrainian president also said that Kyiv's delegation will make an "official visit" to Saudi Arabia, specifying that such a status cannot be obtained overnight. Zelensky told reporters that he would be in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a visit that was not related to the U.S.-Russia meeting.
The U.S. and Russia's exclusion of Ukraine follows Zelensky's recent meeting with Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference in Germany held from February 14 through 16, and his previous phone call with Trump.
The Ukrainian president has previously said that he will not meet with Putin unless Ukraine and the U.S. settle on a common negotiation plan.
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ed Krassenstein, a writer and AI and crypto futurist, wrote: "Trump is doing it again! He's negotiating with the terrorists without the victims. The U.S. and Russia are set to hold peace talks in Saudi Arabia—without Ukraine or Europe at the table. Zelensky wasn't even invited, meaning negotiations about Ukraine's future are happening without Ukraine. This feels eerily similar to when Trump cut a deal with the Taliban while excluding the Afghan government—undermining their legitimacy and paving the way for disaster. Ignoring the nations most impacted by war doesn't lead to real peace; it empowers aggressors and weakens allies. Have we learned nothing?"
Donald B Kipkorir, the founder and managing partner of the law firm KTK Advocates, wrote on X: "A New Global Era will be ushered in tomorrow when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio & Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meet in Saudi Arabia to prepare the upcoming Donald Trump — Vladimir Putin Bilateral Summit! It's Golden Era for Global Peace!"
John O'Brennan, a professor of European politics at Maynooth University in Ireland, wrote on X: "Look at the US, Russian and Saudi participants in these 'talks'. A bunch of murdering kleptocrats, with vast amounts of blood on their hands. The notion that they will be left to decide the future of Ukraine and Europe is straight outta the 19th century."
What Happens Next
Trump has previously hinted at meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia following a phone call between the two leaders. The president also said that Ukraine will be involved in peace talks while he was departing from the Daytona 500 motor race, according to LiveNOW from FOX.
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About the writer
Maya Mehrara is a News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K.. Her focus is reporting on international news. She ... Read more