While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ankara on 18 February, US and Russian representatives gathered in Saudi Arabia to discuss the war in Ukraine—without Kyiv’s involvement, according to The Telegraph.
On 18 February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held nearly five hours of talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. The meeting took place amid US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine quickly without providing security guarantees for Kyiv and amid signals of the potential reduction of US support and Europe’s exclusion from the peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was not informed about the US-Russia talks and would not recognize any agreements made without Ukraine’s participation.
According to The Telegraph, Zelenskyy appeared visibly somber, his thoughts seemingly elsewhere.
“For the first time since the beginning of the war in February 2022, Mr Zelensky is finding himself well and truly on the sidelines,” said the report.
The report has highlighted that signs of Zelenskyy’s waning influence in the West were evident even before Donald Trump’s presidential election victory. His visit to Capitol Hill in September 2024 barely secured meetings with key officials. However, this week marked a new level of marginalization.
“While the Ukrainian president trooped up the steps of Ataturk’s tomb, the future of his nation was being sketched out in Riyadh, where a US delegation met for the first time with Russian counterparts to discuss a way out of the war,” revealed the report.
The summit’s first reports revealed a striking development—both delegations reportedly agreed to hold elections in Ukraine before any peace deal is signed. The Telegraph emphasized that removing Zelenskyy is a key goal for Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, as he has been the biggest obstacle to Kremlin ambitions.
“That the FSB intelligence services have failed to kill him is considered an embarrassment. The best hope, the Kremlin now appears to believe, is to push for an election, interfere in it with the usual playbook, and install a pro-Moscow puppet who will sign up to the kind of humiliating peace deal Mr Zelensky would surely refuse,” said the report.
However, the journalists also pointed out the challenges of such a strategy. Russia no longer has the same influence over Ukrainian elections as it did before the war.
“Most of the population spits at the mention of Putin’s name. You cannot spin hatred with misinformation. The most pro-Moscow segments of the Ukrainian population live in Donbas Oblast, already absorbed into Russia and therefore not able to take part in Ukrainian electoral politics,” added the report.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said that Russia’s willingness to keep Ukraine out of NATO aligns with the positions of the US and several European countries. Speaking at a press conference in Türkiye, he stressed that Ukraine needs to understand what countries could genuinely provide security guarantees.
He noted that NATO members, European nations, and the US could offer Ukraine strong security guarantees and hope for eventual NATO membership.
Zelenskyy: US, Russia share opposition to Ukraine’s NATO membership
Related:
- Zelenskyy warns of potential Russian summer offensive on Europe, urges European role in peace talks
- “Remember Minsk-2.” Europe should stay out of Ukraine peace talks, Kellogg says
- Macron warns against Ukraine capitulation in peace talks pushed by Trump
- Trump refuses to call Ukraine an equal participant in peace talks
