Zelensky postpones trip to Saudi Arabia in opposition to Russia-U.S. talks and calls for "fair" negotiations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday criticized U.S.-Russia talks for excluding Kiev and said efforts to end the war must be "fair" and involve European countries, including Turkey.

His remarks came after Washington and Moscow announced they would appoint teams to negotiate a path to end the war in Ukraine, marking their first official high-level talks since Russia's invasion nearly three years ago.

The Ukrainian leader spoke after a nearly three-hour meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

"Ukraine, Europe in the broad sense - and this includes the European Union, Turkey and the United Kingdom - must be involved in the talks and in developing the necessary security guarantees with the United States regarding the fate of our part of the world," Zelensky said.

Zelensky criticized the U.S.-Russian talks held Tuesday in Riyadh and reiterated his opposition to "decisions without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine."

He stated that he had not been invited to the Riyadh talks and postponed his planned trip to the Saudi capital, where he was originally scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, rescheduling it for March 10.

Trump's review of U.S. policy on Russia has raised concerns that Washington may be preparing to pressure Kiev into accepting a deal on Moscow's terms.

These concerns were heightened during the Riyadh talks, where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met to discuss European security and Ukraine, with no representatives from Kiev or Brussels present.

"Ideal host"

Standing alongside Zelensky, Erdogan called Turkey an "ideal host" for any talks aimed at ending the conflict, recalling how the sides had met in Istanbul in 2022, just weeks after Russia’s invasion.

"Turkey will be an ideal host for possible talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in the near future," he added, stating that the Istanbul talks had been "an important reference point and the platform where the sides came closest to an agreement."

This was Zelensky's third visit to Turkey since Russia's invasion, as the Ukrainian leader sought to strengthen Kiev's position in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's rapprochement with Moscow.

NATO member Turkey has worked to maintain good relations with its warring Black Sea neighbors, with Erdogan positioning himself as a key intermediary and potential peacemaker between the two.

Ankara has supplied drones to Ukraine but has refrained from enforcing Western sanctions on Moscow.

Together with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Turkey has played a key role in brokering several prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine.

These deals have facilitated the return of hundreds of prisoners, despite the ongoing conflict.