WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading a delegation to Saudi Arabia for direct talks with Russian officials in the coming days to seek an end to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a U.S. official said Sunday. Also expected to take part in the talks in Riyadh about Russia’s February 2022 invasion is national security adviser Michael Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the talks and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official added that what the administration sees as early-stage negotiations remain fluid and who ultimately ends up at the table for the anticipated talks could change. The trip follows last week’s telephone call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in which Trump said they “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.” The call upended years of U.S. policy, ending the isolation of Moscow over the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. Trump also spoke separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It wasn’t immediately clear if any Ukrainians would take part in the talks. A Ukrainian delegation is in Saudi Arabia to pave the way for a possible visit by Zelenskyy, a Ukrainian official said. Trump on Sunday told reporters Zelenskyy “will be involved,” but did not elaborate on the role he’d play in the talks. Zelenskyy has said he wouldn’t accept any negotiations about Ukraine that don’t include his country. European governments have also demanded a role. Speaking to Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” program, Witkoff said he and Waltz will be “having meetings at the direction of the president,” and hope to make “some really good progress with regard to Russia-Ukraine.” Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, a first deputy prime minister, didn’t clarify whether there is a link between Zelenskyy’s possible trip and previously announced U.S.-Russia talks. In a Facebook post, she said the Ukrainian delegation’s focus is on strengthening economic ties as Kyiv “prepares to sign important economic agreements with countries in the region.” She didn’t say anything about when Zelenskyy might go to Saudi Arabia and with whom he might meet. Andriy Yermak, a top Zelenskyy adviser, said earlier Sunday there was no possibility of Ukrainian and Russian representatives meeting directly in the immediate future. In a Telegram post, Yermak said the Ukrainians weren’t planning to do so “until we develop a plan” to end the war and bring about a “just peace.” Mykhailo Podolyak, another Zelenskyy adviser, on Saturday denied that Ukraine will participate in any planned U.S.-Russia meetings in Saudi Arabia. “There is nothing on the negotiating table that would be worth discussing,” he told Ukrainian television. Svyrydenko’s remarks came within hours of Witkoff’s statement that high-level meetings were imminent in Saudi Arabia. Witkoff didn’t specify with whom they would be meeting and what they would discuss, but he said that he was leaving for Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening. Russian officials and state media took a triumphant tone after Trump jettisoned three years of U.S. policy and announced that he would likely meet soon with Putin to negotiate a peace deal in the war in Ukraine. Trump’s announcement created a major diplomatic upheaval that could herald a watershed moment for Ukraine and Europe. Putin has been ostracized by the West since the war began. In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader. In his TV interview, Witkoff didn’t directly respond to a question about whether Ukraine would have to give up a “significant portion” of its territory as part of any negotiated settlement. “Those are details, and I’m not dismissive of the details, they’re important. But I think the beginning here is trust-building. It’s getting everybody to understand that this war does not belong continuing, that it should end. That’s what the president has directed us to do,” he said. Aamer Madhani And Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press
