Zelensky ‘refuses to recognize’ Russia-US talks

Kiev will treat any negotiations without its involvement as “null and void,” the Ukrainian leader has said

Kiev will not recognize any agreements that could be reached between Russia and the US during talks in Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky told journalists on Tuesday. The Ukrainian government will only acknowledge negotiations that involve Kiev’s representatives, he added. 

Russia and the US have started preparations for a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump that is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia. The two leaders are expected to discuss a possible settlement to the Ukraine conflict, among other issues.

The Ukrainian leader admitted that Russia and the US have a “bilateral negotiation track” and have every right to talk in this format as they have “bilateral issues” to settle. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier told journalists that talks between Trump and Putin would also be devoted to the restoration of bilateral relations. 

On Monday, Peskov announced that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yury Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, would travel to Riyadh to meet a US delegation and lay the groundwork for a presidential meeting. 

Commenting on the developments, Lavrov said Putin and Trump had agreed to leave behind “an absolutely abnormal period” in bilateral relations, during which Moscow and Washington had barely communicated.

Zelensky also plans to visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. He denied that his trip is in any way linked to the upcoming Trump-Putin talks or the meeting of US and Russian delegations, but admitted that he would discuss the issue with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.