White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff verified on Sunday that he will make a trip to Saudi Arabia along with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff stated that the talks, which will take place later in the day, are taking place under President Donald Trump’s orders.
The negotiations in Saudi Arabia represent one of the few top-level, in-person interactions in recent years among US and Russian officials. The two sides should set the table for a prospective meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I am going tonight,” Witkoff stated in the interview. “I’ll be traveling there with the national security advisor, and we’ll be having meetings at the president’s direction, and hopefully, we’ll make some really good progress.”
Ukraine Objects to US-Russia Talks
The BBC, quoting a government source, said that Ukraine will not be participating in the Saudi Arabia talks. Ukrainian officials and some European leaders have complained about being left out of some negotiations between US and Russian officials.
Kyiv said it had not been invited to the talks and made clear that it will not accept or be bound by any deals reached in the negotiations. Ukrainian officials also pointed out their discontent with being excluded from major diplomatic initiatives related to their own war.
Witkoff rejected, however, that Ukraine was being left out. He said that Ukrainian authorities had met a number of senior US officials during the Munich Security Conference at the weekend.
“I don’t think this is about excluding anyone,” Witkoff said. “In fact, it’s about including everyone.”
The Saudi discussions are taking place amid diplomatic tension, with Washington and Moscow examining possible solutions to the long conflict in Ukraine.
