Donald Trump's Team To Embark On Peace Mission For Ukraine-Russia Talks In Saudi Arabia

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Senior officials from US President Donald Trump's administration are set to initiate peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, according to US Representative Michael McCaul and a source familiar with the planning, as per a news report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio , National Security Adviser Mike Waltz , and White House Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff will lead the US delegation, according to a report in Reuters.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy invited to participate

McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been invited to participate in the talks. The objective, he said, was to arrange a meeting involving Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Zelenskyy to "finally bring peace and end this conflict."

Zelenskyy , however, reiterated Ukraine's stance that no peace deal would be accepted without Kyiv's direct involvement. Ukraine has insisted on aligning with the United States and European allies to formulate a unified strategy before any Trump-Putin negotiations take place.

Concerns over European exclusion

A growing concern among European leaders is that they may be excluded from the negotiations. Trump's Ukraine envoy, General Keith Kellogg , confirmed that Europe would not have a direct seat at the table during peace talks.

Asked about Europe's role in the discussions, Kellogg stated, "I'm from a school of realism. I think that's not gonna happen." However, he later attempted to reassure European allies, saying their interests would still be "considered, used, or developed."

Finland's President Alexander Stubb firmly rejected the idea of excluding Europe from discussions. "There's no way in which we can have discussions or negotiations about Ukraine, Ukraine's future, or European security structure without Europeans," Stubb said at the Munich Security Conference. "Europe needs to get its act together. Europe needs to talk less and do more."

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