Volodymyr Zelenskiy, president of Ukraine, decided to delay his trip to Saudi Arabia so as not to lend “legitimacy” to the meeting between Russian and American officials in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday in Turkey, Zelenskiy said that his visit to the kingdom, originally scheduled for Wednesday, has been rescheduled to March 10. He expressed his desire to avoid “any coincidences” during his apology.
Zelenskiy disclosed in Ankara that he had not received an invitation to the Tuesday meeting between delegations of senior U.S. and Russian officials, which encompassed the foreign ministers of both nations.
“We want no one to decide anything behind our backs… No decision can be made without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently pledged to speed up the end of the war. While he has advocated for the immediate commencement of peace negotiations, his senior officials’ statements have prompted inquiries regarding his intentions.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth informed NATO allies last week that Ukraine’s efforts to reestablish its internationally recognized borders were an “illusionary goal” and that it was unfeasible for Ukraine to become a member of the NATO alliance as part of a negotiated settlement with Russia.
The European allies of Kyiv are worried that they will be left out of any peace process after Trump spoke with Zelenskiy and Putin separately last week.
