Zelensky postpones Saudi trip for key U.S. talks in Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky canceled his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Initially planned for Wednesday, the visit has now been rescheduled to March 10. As Zelensky explained, it will be preceded by a meeting with the U.S. delegation in Kyiv.
The President of Ukraine announced the change, moving the planned Wednesday visit to Saudi Arabia to March 10. The reason for the rescheduling is the expected arrival of the U.S. delegation in Kyiv.
"We are absolutely honest and open. I don’t want any coincidences. That’s why I’m not going to Saudi Arabia," Zelensky said at a press conference in Ankara.
Talks on ending the war moved to March 10
Zelensky addressed Tuesday's discussions in Riyadh between the U.S. and Russian delegations. "You cannot make decisions without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine, on any conditions," he asserted.
The Ukrainian President emphasized that Kyiv was not invited to Tuesday's meeting, which was unexpected for the Ukrainian authorities. "I am convinced that for Ukraine, our region, and Europe, it is vital that any talks about ending the war do not happen behind the backs of the entities affected by the consequences of Russian aggression," he declared.
Zelensky stressed that Ukraine, Europe, including the EU, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, should be involved in the discussions and the development of security guarantees. "We know that they [US] and several other European partners do not support our membership in NATO," he added, noting that this aligns with Russia's wishes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted that Zelensky's visit to Turkey occurs at a time when significant changes might take place in the dynamics of the war in Ukraine. He expressed confidence that Turkey is the ideal venue for future discussions between Russia, Ukraine, and the USA.
Erdogan also recalled that Turkey hosted Ukrainian-Russian talks in March 2022. Additionally, it participated in the grain initiative, which facilitated the export of Ukrainian grain through Black Sea ports.
