**Saudi Arabia Wanted Ukraine Involved in US-Russia Talks**
The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be part of talks between the US and Russia. However, the two countries decided to meet without Ukrainians present.
**US and Russia Hold First Direct Talks Since Invasion**
A US delegation led by Secretary Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Saudi Arabia on February 18. This was the first direct negotiation between the two countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
**Ukraine Not Invited to Talks**
Saudi Arabia did not choose to exclude Ukraine from the talks, a source told Bloomberg. Instead, US and Russian officials insisted that they wanted to meet without Ukrainians present. The prince had planned to brief Zelensky on Saudi Arabia’s role in hosting the discussions and his own talks with Moscow and Washington.
**Zelensky Postpones Visit to Saudi Arabia**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky postponed a planned visit to Saudi Arabia due to the US-Russia talks. He said he did not want any coincidences, so he decided not to go to Riyadh. However, he later rescheduled his visit for March 10.
**No Concrete Decisions Announced**
The US-Russia talks did not result in any concrete decisions. Ukraine’s exclusion from the meeting sparked alarm in Kyiv and across Europe. Zelensky stressed that no decisions about Ukraine’s future can be made without Ukraine’s participation.
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