Senior US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, are travelling to Saudi Arabia to start negotiations aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, two sources told NBC News channel. The talks, it appears, will not have a presence from Ukraine.

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Witkoff confirmed that he will travel to Saudi Arabia Sunday night (Feb 16), where the first face-to-face talks between the US and Russia on Ukraine are set to be held.

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Witkoff added that US officials are also speaking separately with Ukrainian officials, insisting that "Ukraine is part of the talks".

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But he gave no indication he expected officials from Kyiv to be in Saudi Arabia.

A BBC report meanwhile said Kyiv will not be attending, despite President Donald Trump saying this week that Ukrainian representatives would participate.

Witcoff added he would be having meetings "at the direction" of Trump and he hopes for "good progress."

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov meanwhile told reporters, "This is a powerful signal that we will now try to solve problems through dialogue."

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The planned talks follow a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After that conversation, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.”

Ukraine’s concerns over exclusion from talks

The possibility of talks taking place without Ukraine’s direct involvement is likely to spark criticism from Kyiv. On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the Trump-Putin call, insisting that his country must be included in any discussions about its future.

"Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs," Zelensky said during a speech at the Munich Security Conference. "No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, no decisions about Europe without Europe."

Also read: Saudi Arabia fears Iran may go nuclear, seeks to broker new Trump-Tehran deal: Report

Some Ukrainian officials fear that Trump may attempt to broker a deal with Russia that does not provide sufficient security guarantees or long-term peace for Ukraine, which has been fighting a full-scale invasion for three years.

US-Russia diplomacy resumes

As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to restart diplomatic engagement with Russia, Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday while travelling from Munich to Israel.

Rubio “reaffirmed President Trump’s commitment to finding an end to the conflict in Ukraine,” according to a statement from State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. 

Also read: ‘We will create NATO in Ukraine’: Zelensky on NATO ambitions, Trump’s personal number, and more

The Russian summary of the call stated that both diplomats would maintain regular communication and begin preparations for a future summit between their presidents. It also indicated that discussions would cover broader international issues, including Ukraine, the Middle East and Palestine.

Rubio is set to visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following his stop in Israel—his first diplomatic trip to the Middle East.

Uncertainty over European involvement

During a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, US Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg confirmed that Ukrainian representatives would take part in discussions to end the war.
However, when asked if European nations would also have a seat at the table, he said, “The answer is no.”

Kellogg explained that negotiations would primarily involve “two protagonists” Russia and Ukraine, while the US would act as an intermediary. When pressed for clarification, he confirmed that Americans would also be at the table.

He later added that not being present in direct talks does not mean a country’s interests are being ignored.

Defending the need for discussions with Putin, Kellogg said, “Whether you like it or not, you have to talk to adversaries.”

He also referenced former US defence secretary James Mattis in his answer.

“As a great secretary of defense, Gen Mattis, once said: 'I may not like this son of a b----, but I got to talk to him.'”

(With inputs from agencies)