Won’t accept outcome, no part in US-Russia talks: Zelenskyy

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday his country won’t take part in US-Russia talks this week on ending the war and won’t accept the outcome of the talks if Ukraine doesn’t take part.

Speaking to journalists on a conference call from the United Arab Emirates, Zelenskyy said his government had not been invited to Tuesday’s planned talks in Saudi Arabia.

He said they would “yield no results,” given the absence of any Ukrainian officials.

Zelenskyy said he would travel to Turkiye on Monday and to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, but that his trip to the Arab nation was unrelated to planned US-Russia talks there on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, top Russian officials will hold talks with US counterparts on restoring ties, negotiating a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine and preparing a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov will fly to the Saudi capital later in the day to take part in the talks set for Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the US delegation. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News Sunday that he and national security adviser Mike Waltz also will take part in the talks.

Peskov said the talks will be primarily focused on “restoring the entire complex of U.S.-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement and organizing a meeting of the two presidents.”

Speaking to journalists on a conference call from the United Arab Emirates on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country won’t take part in the talks this week, adding that they would “yield no results,” given the absence of any Ukrainian officials. European governments have also

demanded a role.