US Officially Confirms Upcoming High-Level Meeting with Russia in Saudi Arabia
The United States and Russia will hold a high-level meeting in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss ways to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, which is approaching its third anniversary.
On the 16th (local time), Steve Witkoff, the U.S. White House Special Envoy for the Middle East, stated in an interview with Fox News that he would be traveling to Saudi Arabia that night with Mike Waltz, the White House National Security Advisor, to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
This is the first official confirmation by U.S. authorities that senior officials from the U.S. and Russian governments will hold negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war. This negotiation follows up on the agreement made during a phone call on the 12th between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to immediately begin peace talks.
Special Envoy Witkoff and Advisor Waltz are expected to join Secretary of State Mike Rubio, who is currently visiting the Middle East region. In the interview, Witkoff said, "We will meet (with Russia) under President Trump's directive," adding, "We really hope to make good progress."
Secretary Rubio, in a video interview with CBS News on the same day, did not specify who the Russian counterparts were or the details of the discussions but said, "All I can say is that we are ready to explore ways if the opportunity arises to start a process toward peace under the President's directive."
Regarding the prospects of the meeting, Secretary Rubio said, "One phone call (between the U.S. and Russian leaders) cannot resolve this complex war, but it is certain that President Trump is the only leader who can initiate this process," adding, "We will see what happens next, and I hope for good outcomes."
The Ukrainian side expressed anxiety and dissatisfaction about being excluded from the meeting and also showed strong distrust toward Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News aired that day, "I hope that we become more important than Russia to President Trump. Although we are not as large as Russia, we share alliance values and are strategically more important to the U.S.," and regarding Putin, he said, "No one, including President Trump, should trust Putin."
In this regard, Secretary Rubio said, "What I know is that Putin has shown interest in peace, but of course, actions must follow," and added that whether President Putin is sincere about peace will be "revealed in a few weeks or days." He emphasized, "If real negotiations are reached, Ukraine will have to be involved, and Europe will have to be involved," adding, "We have not yet reached that level."
President Trump indicated that Ukraine might participate in future negotiations with Russia. When asked by reporters at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida whether President Zelensky would be involved in talks for peace, Trump replied, "He will be involved." However, he did not provide specific details on when or how Ukraine would participate in the negotiations or how much Ukraine's voice would be reflected.
The upcoming high-level U.S.-Russia meeting is also expected to coordinate a summit between President Trump and President Putin. The summit between the two leaders could take place as early as the end of this month, but this will likely depend on the outcomes achieved during this meeting.
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