U.S., Russia top officials to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tues. for talks to end Ukraine war

Senior U.S. officials and their Russian counterparts are sitting down in Saudi Arabia today to outline a peace plan for Ukraine BUT the absence of Ukraine and Europe at the table is prompting much concern.

Choi Min-jung has the latest.

High-ranking officials from Washington and Moscow are set to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, to lay the groundwork for potential peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. and Russia confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet, along with other top officials.

This marks one of the first high-level in-person meetings between the two sides in years, and is expected to pave the way for a future U.S.-Russia summit.

"President Trump mentioned Saudi Arabia when talking about a possible venue for a possible summit. It is understood that this place suits both American and Russian sides, so this joint decision was made."

This development has raised concerns among leaders of Ukraine and Europe, who have been left out of the U.S.-led diplomatic effort.

U.S. President Donald Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, said on Monday, that it was unrealistic for everyone to be at the table, but emphasized that no peace deal would be imposed on Kyiv.

He also said the U.S. would act as an intermediary,.. alongside Ukraine and Russia as the two main protagonists.

"The fact is, we're looking at you can have the Ukrainians, the Russian, and clearly the Americans at the table talking. But we've got to have specifics to get to a point."

European leaders held an emergency meeting in France on Monday, and insisted they must have a say in the talks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that Europe's security is "at a turning point," stressing the issue was not just about Ukraine but also Europe.

And despite U.S. officials suggesting that Ukraine and Europe would have a role in peace talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday dismissed Tuesday's negotiations taking place without him, and told reporters that he "did not know anything about them."

In response to recent U.S. statements about ruling out Ukraine's NATO membership, Zelenskyy cautioned the West against repeating past mistakes, warning that it could lead to a scenario similar to Afghanistan in 2021.

Back then, the Taliban rapidly took control of Afghanistan after the U.S. and NATO withdrew their forces

Choi Min-jung, Arirang News.