Tunde Sulaiman 
Ukrainian officials will not attend Russia-US talks to be held in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, the BBC has learned. A government source told BBC News that Ukraine has not been invited and will not send a delegation. Two of Trump’s closest foreign policy advisers – Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff – travelled to Saudi Arabia last night ahead of the talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly warned he would not accept any deal struck without his country’s input. Meanwhile, European leaders are set to meet today for an emergency summit on the war in Ukraine. The meeting is in response to concerns the US is moving ahead with Russia on peace talks that will lock out the continent.
US Defence Secretary Marco Rubio is expected to meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to begin peace talks, reports the BBC.
It comes just days after US President Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the state of the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he did not receive an invitation to those talks and has repeatedly said he wouldn’t accept any bilateral deal agreed by the US and Russia.
