US Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to meet Russian authorities in Saudi Arabia in the coming days for consultations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, US officials say.
Top US diplomats were joined by national security adviser Mike Waltz and a US special mission to the Middle East and Steve Witkoff, and authorities told the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
The US special mission to Ukraine’s Keith Kellogg said Washington, Moscow and Kiev would be involved in the talks, but Europe was not invited.
Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky said Kiev was not invited to talks in Saudi Arabia.
Amidst European concerns that the US is moving forward with peace talks with Russia without consulting the continent, Ukrainian European allies will gather in Paris next week for an emergency summit on war.
On Saturday, Kellogg said previous negotiations had failed because so many political parties were involved.
“It could be like blackboard chalk. It might be a bit grated, but I’m really honest with you,” the US diplomat added.
Also on Saturday, Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. There, according to State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce, President Donald Trump reaffirmed his “commitment to end the conflict in Ukraine.”
It shocked European allies by reviving direct contact with Moscow after a freeze of more than three years after a call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
After the call, Trump said negotiations to stop the “silly war” in Ukraine would begin “quickly.”
Future talks in Saudi Arabia follow tensions at the International Munich Security Conference, with US Vice President JD Vance on Friday criticizing European democracy.
Vance repeated the Trump administration’s line that Europe “must step up in a big way to provide its own defense.”
On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegses appeared to rule out Ukraine from joining NATO or restoring all of its territory. This promotes European warning that the US may have made concessions to Russia before the peace deal is negotiated.
Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and in 2014 it already seized parts of Crimea and the East Donbas region.
Speaking to the Munich Congress, Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky urged the creation of a “European Army” amid growing concern that Washington might no longer lead to continental assistance.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that America will say no to Europe on issues that threaten it,” Zelensky said.
