Ukraine will not participate in US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia – Presidential Office
Photo: Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office Mykhailo Podolyak (Getty Images)
A Ukrainian delegation does not plan to participate in the upcoming negotiations between the US and Russia, scheduled for March 23 in Saudi Arabia, stated Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Presidential Office, The Guardian.
According to Podolyak, the talks planned for Sunday in Saudi Arabia are expected to be bilateral between the US and Russia. Therefore, Ukraine currently has no intention of participating.
At the same time, Podolyak added that it is important to wait for the results of US President Donald Trump's conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. After that, it will be clear when further negotiations involving Ukraine might take place.
"The president wants to understand the contents of this call fully from Trump. The main thing is to understand how Trump sees the results of his call with Putin, and to draw conclusions from that," the adviser to the head of the Presidential Office noted.
Recalling the previous meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House, which was not very successful, Podolyak emphasized: "It was a fairly emotional conversation in the Oval Office, and it showed that contradictions had built up."
These contradictions, according to Podolyak, were brought to the negotiating table in Saudi Arabia during the US-Ukraine meeting, and both official and unofficial communications were quickly established.
US-Russia talks
It was announced today that the US and Russia will resume negotiations on a ceasefire in Ukraine in the coming days. The meeting will take place in Saudi Arabia, according to US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
Waltz stated that he had agreed with his Russian counterpart, Yuri Ushakov, to hold further talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to him, the meeting will focus on "expanding the partial ceasefire" that US President Donald Trump secured from Russia.
Yesterday, Putin and Trump discussed the resolution of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Russian leader effectively rejected Washington’s offer for a full ceasefire, setting unrealistic conditions for it.
However, the Kremlin leader allegedly agreed to stop attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Additionally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump are currently holding a phone call on March 19. This is their first conversation since their dispute at the White House, where the two leaders lost their composure, leading to the early end of the talks.
It is expected that the two leaders will discuss Trump’s phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
