Kiev has not been invited to negotiate between the US and Russia aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian government source told the BBC.
The US Special Messenger to Ukraine Keith Kelloge said Kiev would participate in Saudi Arabia on Monday, but the source said there would be no delegation.
European leaders have also not been asked to join the discussions and should meet instead of Monday in Paris at a summit settled by the French president, as fears increase the continent is locked by negotiations.
Individual meetings follow a tumultuous week in which Washington signals a drastic change in its approach to the war in Ukraine.
The White House Middle East, Steve Vikof, confirmed that he was traveling to Saudi Arabia on Sunday night for the first face -to -face conversations between the US and Russia to end the conflict.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are also ready to meet Russian negotiators there, less than a week after US President Donald Trump has a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The Wednesday call ended a three -year freezing on direct contact between Moscow and Washington.
Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out the acceptance of a peace deal negotiated without Ukraine, telling the US TV NBC on Sunday that “will never make any decisions between the US and Russia for Ukraine, never.”
Vitcof said US officials were talking separately with Ukrainian officials and that it was “part of the conversations” – but did not indicate if he expected Kiev to attend Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Rubio downplayed the negotiations on Saudi Arabia, saying that a meeting would not decide the war and that an official negotiation process – which would mediate between Ukraine, Russia and third countries – has not yet been created.
However, he told CBS News that the next few days would determine if Putin had seriously reached peace.
Against this background is a group of European leaders – including the British Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary General Mark Rute, German Chancellor Olaf Skolz and Ursula von of the European Commission – German meeting in ParisS
A statement received from CBS News, US partner at the BBC, has confirmed that French President Emmanuel Macron will hold an informal afternoon of Ukraine and European security.
However, French Foreign Minister Jean-Nol Baro said the summit should not be “too dramatized”.
US Ukraine Ukraine Kelloge has earned its fears that Europe has not been invited to Saudi Arabia, claiming that previous negotiations have failed due to the participation of too many parties.
“It may be like a chalk on the board, it may be a little needed, but I tell you something that is really honest,” he said on Saturday.
The meetings are accelerated in Trump's efforts to reach a quick end of the war.
The White House said the US president had a “long” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, after which Trump said negotiations to stop the “ridiculous war” in Ukraine would start immediately.
He also said it was not a “practical” Ukraine to join NATO and “unlikely” can return to its borders for pre -invasion in 2014.
Ukraine repeatedly calls for NATO membership and rejects the territory for retreat as part of any peace transaction.
Trump's position was also echoed by his Secretary of Defense, Feeding the European alarm that the US can make concessions to Russia before a peaceful deal is agreed.
Pete Heges also said that European nations should provide the “prevailing” share of funding for Ukraine – claiming that the United States will no longer “tolerate unbalanced relations” with its allies.
US Vice President JD VANCE also told Munich's Security Conference on Friday that Europe must “activate in a great way to secure its own protection” in its speech largely spent Criticism of European democracies.
Zelenski called on Saturday for The creation of a European army, Arguing that the continent can no longer rely on Washington.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine continued on Sunday – as Zelenski stated that a Russian attack had left at least 100,000 people without power in Mikolave.
He said the homes were without heating after a drone strike on the “critical infrastructure” of the city.
Russia launched a full -scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after it has already conquered Crimea and part of the East Donbass region in 2014.