Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that they will not accept the results of negotiations held without Ukraine's participation.

On February 18, U.S. and Russian officials agreed to explore business and investment opportunities following the end of the war in Ukraine. According to The Guardian, this statement made during talks in Saudi Arabia coincided with growing concerns that Trump would seek a peace deal in favor of Putin.

During the meeting in Riyadh, U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio announced that a high-level delegation had been established for peace talks on Ukraine. Alongside Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Valls and Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Vitkoff, also participated in the meeting. On the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Sergey Ushakov represented the country.

In response to the proposal of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of the war’s end, Lavrov emphasized that sending NATO forces to Ukraine, even under a different flag, was unacceptable to Moscow.

He stated, “We have conveyed to our colleagues the points repeatedly emphasized by President Putin. NATO's expansion directly threatens the interests of the Russian Federation and our sovereignty.”

This meeting marked the first high-level diplomatic talks since Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The statements made after the talks were carefully chosen. Rubio described the meeting as “the first step on a long and difficult road,” adding that the end of the war should be accepted by all parties, including Ukraine, Russia, and Europe.

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Investment Fund, said that while the parties listened to each other, it was too early to discuss compromises. Putin, however, did not comment on the Riyadh talks.

Concerned that Washington and Moscow might sideline their interests, Kyiv and its allies held an emergency meeting with the European Union and the United Kingdom on Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron stated after the meeting that he had spoken with both Trump and Zelensky.

“We are working to ensure a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, we must end Russia's aggression and provide reliable security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” Macron wrote on the X platform.

Ukrainian officials were not invited to this meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was visiting Ankara, stated that they would not accept the results of negotiations held without Ukraine’s participation.