Ukraine is unaware of Saudi Arabia talks and not to recognize them – Zelenskyy
Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (GettyImages)
Ukraine will not participate in the US-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia regarding ending the war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy states at the press conference.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine will not recognize any results from the talks in Saudi Arabia that take place without its participation.
"Ukraine will not take part. Ukraine was not informed about this. And Ukraine considers any negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine as having no results. We cannot acknowledge any agreements made about us without us. And we will not recognize such agreements. Probably, there is a bilateral track there. The US has the right to do so if they have bilateral issues. To be honest, they had talked about this before. They just started speaking publicly now. Back then, it was considered mauveton - talking to the aggressor during wartime," the Ukrainian President said.
Zelenskyy emphasized that the Ukrainian delegation is making an "official visit" to Saudi Arabia, and such status is not granted overnight.
"Journalists and everyone understand that an 'official visit' status is not obtained in one to three days. It is simply impossible. I have made many different visits during the war, but this one is official. Relevant documents were prepared, and so on. Therefore, it has nothing to do with the events taking place in Saudi Arabia at the level of US and Russian representatives. Of course, I will ask His Highness Mohammed (the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia - ed.) when I am there what he knows about it. Just curious," Zelenskyy added.
Talks in Saudi Arabia
Over the weekend, reports emerged that a meeting between senior officials from the United States and Russia would take place in Saudi Arabia.
To get details on the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, read our material on the topic.
Earlier, a Ukrainian government delegation had also arrived in Saudi Arabia for a visit.
Meanwhile, today, Zelenskyy arrived in the United Arab Emirates, where he met with his counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi. Several media resources reported that Zelenskyy is expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia on the evening of February 18 or on Wednesday, February 19.
