Witkoff confirms trip to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russians
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (photo: Getty Images)
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has confirmed his trip to Saudi Arabia for talks on ending the war in Ukraine. He is leaving today, he said in an interview with Fox News.
It should be noted that Witkoff is coordinating these issues with the Russian side. According to him, he will leave for Saudi Arabia in the evening.
“I am going tonight. I'll be traveling there with the national security advisor (Mike Waltz - ed.), we will be having meetings at the direction of the president, and I hope we'll make some really good progress,” he said.
His words were the first official confirmation that the talks would take place.
The upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia will be one of the first face-to-face meetings between Russian and American officials in recent years. They are to precede US President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff also rejected speculation that the Ukrainian side was excluded from the talks, although he did not say whether a delegation from Kyiv had been invited.
“I don't think it's about excluding anybody. In fact, it's about including everybody,” he added.
Earlier, the Western media reported that next week in Saudi Arabia, negotiations will be held to end the war in Ukraine. Initially, it was assumed that a Ukrainian delegation might attend the meeting, but official Kyiv denied this.
According to Bloomberg, negotiators in Riyadh intend to prepare a meeting between Trump and Putin that could take place by the end of February.
The Office of the President of Ukraine says that the Ukrainian side will not take part in the talks because there is nothing to discuss and it would like to coordinate its position with Washington first.
Meanwhile, a government delegation from Kyiv has left for Riyadh to prepare for Zelenskyy's visit, but, according to him, on other issues.
