Top Trump administration officials are set to meet with senior Russian officials in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to begin talks on ending the war in Ukraine, a source told CNN on Saturday.
National security adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to attend, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
The sources declined to say which Russian officials would be in attendance, but CNN has previously reported the Kremlin is assembling a high-level negotiating team to engage in direct talks with the US, including top-level political, intelligence and economic figures.
How we got here: President Donald Trump said earlier this week that negotiations to end the nearly three-year Ukraine war will start “immediately” after holding a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The call, which was the first known conversation between the presidents since Trump assumed office last month, came as Trump makes clear to his advisers he wants to bring the Ukraine conflict to a swift end.
Zelensky’s concerns: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky warned at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that the days of guaranteed US support for Europe are over.
“A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at that table. That says a lot,” Zelensky said in a robust speech at the conference.
“The old days are over — when America supported Europe just because it always had,” he added.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on stage at the security conference, Zelensky conceded that he was “not happy” that Trump’s first call was with Putin. The Ukrainian leader warned it would be even “more dangerous” however if Trump meets with the Russian president before him.
Ukrainians tell CNN they are fearful any Trump-brokered ceasefire will be full of concessions to Russia and false promises.
European leaders on the outside looking in: Zelensky’s warning came just hours before Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration’s Russia-Ukraine envoy, told the same conference that European negotiators would not be at the table for peace talks.
The Europeans’ positions would be taken into consideration, Kellogg said, adding that that’s one of the reasons he’s in Munich. But they won’t be participants, the retired US general said.
The Trump-Putin phone call has been viewed as a potential turning point in US-European relations.