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Kyiv has not been invited to talks between the US and Russia aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian government source has told the BBC.
The US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said that Kyiv would participate in Monday’s talks in Saudi Arabia, but the source said no Kyiv representative would attend.
European leaders have also not been invited to join the talks, and are instead expected to meet this Monday in Paris at an emergency summit convened by the French president, amid growing fears that the continent is being left out of the talks.
The separate meetings follow a turbulent week in which Washington has signaled a major shift in its approach to the war in Ukraine.
The US White House envoy for Middle East affairs, Steve Witkoff, confirmed that he was traveling to Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening for the first face-to-face talks between the US and Russia towards ending the crisis.
The US president revealed on Sunday that Witkoff had already met with Putin “for a long conversation, about three hours”.
Witkoff, a billionaire and friend of Trump, was in Moscow this week to secure the release of an American teacher imprisoned on marijuana charges.
The US Secretary of State and the national security adviser are also expected to meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, less than a week after Trump held a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Wednesday’s call ended a three-year period of no direct communication between Moscow and Washington.
For his part, Ukrainian President Zelensky has repeatedly refused to accept a peace agreement negotiated without Ukraine’s participation, telling US television NBC on Sunday that “we will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia regarding Ukraine, never”.
