Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is all set to visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a day after a meeting there between top Russian and US officials, Ukrainian leader’s spokesman Sergii Nykyforov told AFP.
Zelenskyy had earlier said he had no plans to meet Russian or US officials.
The spokesperson said Zelenskyy would visit Saudi Arabia with his wife as part of a “long-planned” official visit.
Zelenskyy’s trip will come just a day after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets US officials as part of what the Kremlin says are efforts to repair Moscow’s ties with Washington.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed on Monday in Saudi Arabia where he is due to speak with officials on Gaza.
According to Al Jazeera, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin, were due to travel, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
They will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, the State Department was quoted saying.
What will US, Russia discuss in Saudi Arabia
According to AFP, top US and Russian diplomats will meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war — in a meeting Kyiv was not invited to and as Europe reels from Washington’s dramatic change in policy towards Moscow.
It will be the first meeting between senior representatives of both countries since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv “did not know anything about” the upcoming talks in Riyadh, according to Ukrainian news agencies, and that it “cannot recognise any things or any agreements about us without us.”
Zelenskyy meets UAE President
Zelenskyy said on Monday that he had held a “meaningful conversation with [UAE] President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.”
“One of our key topics today is the return of our people from Russian captivity. The UAE’s mediation has saved many lives. We are grateful for this crucial cooperation and today we discussed how to continue it,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1891447775407284492
The Ukrainian President also said that an important economic agreement between Ukraine and the UAE was signed, “which liberalises access to the UAE market for nearly all Ukrainian goods. This will make it easier for our companies to sell their products in the UAE.”
