Trump Envoy Confirms Saudi Arabia’s High-Level Talks with Russia

A top envoy from Donald Trump has confirmed ongoing diplomatic discussions between Saudi Arabia and Russia, signaling potential geopolitical shifts.

White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has announced that discussions aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict will take place in Saudi Arabia. He, along with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, is scheduled to travel to the kingdom on Sunday for these talks.

“I’m leaving tonight,” Witkoff mentioned during an interview with Fox News. “We’re hopeful that we’ll achieve significant progress,” he continued. He did not reveal whom they would be meeting or what topics would be discussed.

The Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed US official, that senior U.S. officials are set to meet with their Russian counterparts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, next week to start discussions aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict.

The upcoming discussions in Saudi Arabia will be some of the first high-level, face-to-face meetings between Russian and US officials in years. These talks are set to precede a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump.

The two presidents had a phone conversation on Wednesday, their first direct communication since the Ukraine conflict intensified in February 2022. Following this, top diplomats from both countries held a call on Saturday to discuss preparations for a possible high-level Russian-American summit. In an article published that day, Bloomberg reported—citing anonymous sources—that the U.S. delegation might be responsible for arranging the meeting before Ramadan begins on February 28 this year.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky previously mentioned that Kiev was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia. However, on Sunday, Economy Minister Yulia Svirydenko revealed via a Facebook post that a Ukrainian government delegation had reached the kingdom. “In preparation for Vladimir Zelensky’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, numerous meetings will be held over the next few days,” she said. Svirydenko emphasized that the delegation seeks to bolster economic relations and establish foundations “for signing significant economic agreements with regional countries.”

To counter concerns that Ukraine was being marginalized, Witkoff refuted the idea by highlighting that Ukrainian officials had interacted with several high-ranking US representatives during the Munich Security Conference over the weekend.

According to Politico, there are “no plans for representatives from other major European powers to join the talks.” Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that European officials had not even been informed.

In a Sunday interview with CBS, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Ukraine and the EU will be part of the dialogue when “real negotiations” for peace begin.

The Washington Post reports that prominent US officials anticipated to be in Riyadh include Rubio, Waltz, and Witkoff.

According to Politico, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul confirmed the composition of the American team. The outlet reported that “there are no plans for representatives from other major European powers to participate in the discussions.”