"Step toward U.S.-Russia dialogue": expert on upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“Very interesting processes are currently taking place in the Middle East, and this was predictable, given that these countries have long established themselves as negotiation platforms and mediators in various crises and conflicts around the world. Therefore, I believe that Saudi Arabia could be the country that plays a significant role in a possible peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war. However, I consider the meeting that will take place tomorrow, February 18, in Riyadh between representatives of the U.S. and the Russian Federation solely as one of the stages in improving relations between Washington and Moscow and discussing a possible meeting between Donald Trump and Russian dictator Putin. Will they discuss any conditions for a ceasefire? There may be an exchange of views, but I do not think they will pay much attention to it, given that the Ukrainian side has not yet been involved in these communications,” he noted.

Stanislav Zhelikhovskyi suggested that after a meeting between Trump and Putin, Ukraine could be included in the negotiation process.

“We can say that for now, communication will take place on a bilateral basis — that is, U.S.-Russia, U.S.-Ukraine — while Ukraine-Russia remains uncertain. This triangle has not yet formed, and whether it will in the near future, I will not predict, but I assume it might. But a bit later. And perhaps this could happen more intensively when a meeting between Trump and Putin does take place and when there are some positive signals regarding a peaceful resolution. We will see whether the Russian Federation is even willing to negotiate, make any compromises, or offer concessions from Moscow’s side. Because without that, nothing will move forward. There needs to be parity in this process,” he believes.

Negotiations in Saudi Arabia: background

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that officials from Russia and the U.S. would soon meet in Saudi Arabia for negotiations regarding the war against Ukraine. According to him, Ukraine would also be part of the discussion.

Later, it was reported that Saudi Arabia had approved a phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin and expressed its readiness to host their summit on its territory.

On Tuesday, February 18, a meeting between senior officials from the United States and Russia may take place in Saudi Arabia, according to reports from Russian and international media.

On February 17, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov would represent Russia at the negotiations.

On February 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv was unaware of the U.S.-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia and would not recognize any agreements concerning Ukraine made without Ukraine’s participation.