Trump team to meet with Russian officials to discuss Ukraine peace deal

• The Trump administration will meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. High-ranking officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, will attend the meeting.
• This meeting follows a recent phone call between President Trump and President Putin, and comments by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg that Europe would not be involved in the peace talks.
• Russian officials have agreed to address barriers set by the Biden administration and discuss various topics with the U.S. Secretary Rubio will visit Saudi Arabia after a stop in Israel during his Middle East trip.

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The Trump administration will meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible peace deal next week. The peace deal would bring the war to an end after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Who will be going to the meeting?

While President Donald Trump or President Vladimir Putin won’t be going to the meeting, high-ranking officials on both sides will.

The U.S. team will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

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Ukrainian officials said they will have delegates in Saudi Arabia. However, it wasn’t clear if they would also be meeting with Rubio and the U.S. officials. 

National security adviser Michael Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff are also expected to take part in the talks in Saudi Arabia. 

What are recent developments in the negotiations?

This meeting comes less than a week since President Trump spoke with Putin over the phone. When Trump spoke about that phone call, he said he could also visit Moscow. If he does, that would be the first time a U.S. president has visited Russia since 2013.

On Saturday. Feb. 15, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg said Europe wouldn’t be involved with the peace talks. He made the comment during the Munich Security Conference.

This comment caused some discussion among European leaders, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Europe would need to handle its security and not rely on the U.S.

“We can’t rule out the possibility that America might say ‘No’ to Europe on issues that threaten it. Many leaders have talked about Europe that needs its own military – an Army of Europe,” he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a meeting between European leaders. This meeting is expected to take place Monday, Feb. 17.

Has Russia said anything about the talks?

According to The New York Times, Russian officials said they agreed to address barriers that had been erected by the Biden administration. Besides ending the war in Ukraine, the officials said they would speak on a wide array of topics and maintain regular contact with the U.S. 

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Secretary Rubio will head to Saudi Arabia after stopping in Israel during his first trip to the Middle East.