US-Russia Talks on Ukraine War Set for February 18 in Saudi Arabia—Kyiv Not Included So Far

Delegations from the United States and Russia are reportedly scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 18. The parties will discuss potential negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

According to NBC News, citing two sources familiar with the matter, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are set to travel to Saudi Arabia to kick off negotiations aimed at securing peace between Russia and Ukraine.

According to media speculation, the Russian delegation at the meeting may involve Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chief Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov, intelligence Chief Sergey Naryshkin, the US-sanctioned financier Kirill Dmitriev and Vladimir Medinsky, a presidential aide.

A Saudi official told CNN that the country’s role will go beyond merely hosting the talks, as it will actively mediate the negotiations. The delegation will be led by Saudi Arabia’s national security advisor.

In an interview on CBS News' Face the Nation on February 16, Rubio stated that “the Europeans will have to be involved” in discussions about ending the war in Ukraine.

“If it’s real negotiations, and we’re not there yet, but if that were to happen, Ukraine will have to be involved because they’re the one that were invaded, and the Europeans will have to be involved because they’re the — they have sanctions on Putin and Russia as well, and they’ve contributed to this effort,” he explained.

On Sunday, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing their own correspondent, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated having no information about potential talks on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. He emphasized that Ukraine has not participated in any discussions or negotiations on this matter.

On February 16, European leaders emphasized the need for a dedicated envoy to ensure Europe’s participation in any future peace negotiations on Ukraine.