Trump's representatives have already flown to Saudi Arabia to initiate talks with Russia and Ukraine, according to Politico.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Steve Vitkoff are set to travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days to initiate peace negotiations with representatives from Russia and Ukraine.

Source. This information was reported by Politico, citing Republican Congressman Mike McCaul and two anonymous sources within the White House.

According to Politico's sources, former Trump special envoy for the Ukraine conflict, Keith Kellogg, will not be attending, and representatives from European countries have also not been invited.

Analysts suggest that Trump sidelined Kellogg from the negotiations due to his "too pro-Ukrainian stance."

Rubio spoke on the phone on Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, both sides reported. They agreed to maintain regular communications to prepare for a meeting between Putin and Trump, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated, as reported by Reuters.

Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Mike McCaul said that, as he understands it, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to participate in the negotiations in Saudi Arabia.

McCaul mentioned that the discussions aim to organize a meeting involving Trump, Putin, and Zelensky "to finally establish peace and end this conflict."

Responding to questions about the planned meeting between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, Zelensky stated at the Munich Security Conference:

"Perhaps there is something on the table, but not on our table. I have not seen any invitations for Ukraine to meet with any other representatives," he said.

Zelensky expressed that it would be strange for him to talk with U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia "if we have not held any negotiations between us and our strategic partners beforehand. As far as I remember, Russia is not our strategic partner."

Background. On Friday, Zelensky announced that he would visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, but did not specify when. At the same time, the Ukrainian leader noted that he does not plan to meet with U.S. or Russian officials during these visits.

Earlier on Saturday, Zelensky stated that Ukraine will never agree to any peace agreements reached behind its back or without Kyiv's involvement. Ukraine has repeatedly expressed its desire to unite with the United States and Europe to develop a joint strategy before any meeting between Trump and Putin.

As reported, Zelensky mentioned that he knows nothing about a meeting with the Russians and is only willing to meet with Putin. According to him, this would only happen after a joint action plan has been developed together with allies.