US to lead Russia-Ukraine peace talks; Mediation talks in Saudi Arabia next week

 

 

Washington: The US is to lead Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Mediation talks to end the war led by the US will be held in Saudi Arabia next week. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Valls, and Special Representative Steve Witkoff will lead. It is not yet clear who will represent Russia. The peace talks are being held without European countries.

The talks are aimed at ending the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded that Ukraine has not been invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia. Zelensky's response came after meeting US Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday. He clarified that no decision will be made without consulting countries cooperating with Ukraine. Meanwhile, US Representative Michael McCaul stressed that the goal is to organize a meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to end the conflict.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he will quickly end the war in Ukraine since taking office on January 20. He spoke with Putin and Zelensky by phone on Wednesday. However, European countries were not included in the discussions.