US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are planning to go to Saudi Arabia to kick off peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that he was not invited to the meeting and warned that he would never accept any agreements made behind his back.

According to information provided by two sources to NBC News regarding the matter, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are planning to go to Saudi Arabia to begin peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Witkoff stated on Fox News that he will be heading to Saudi Arabia on Sunday night (yesterday) along with Waltz.

This move comes a few days after President Donald Trump revealed that he had discussed the possibility of starting negotiations to end the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the phone. Trump, following the meeting, shared on his Truth Social account on Wednesday, “We agreed to work closely together on many issues, including visiting each other’s countries.” He further added, “We also agreed that our respective teams should immediately start negotiations.” Top officials of the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance, Rubio, and US Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg, convened in Germany this weekend for the Munich Security Conference, where the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine remained a critical topic of discussion. Rubio had a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday. According to information from both countries, the conversation addressed the war in Ukraine and other matters. Zelensky, speaking at the security conference on Saturday, stated that Ukraine should be involved in any negotiations that would end the war and said, “Ukraine will never accept agreements made behind our backs.”

While details about which Russian officials will participate in the talks have not been revealed, CNN previously reported that a high-level negotiation team, including prominent figures from the Kremlin and Russian official Kirill Dmitriev, who played a significant role in the recent US prisoner release agreement, had been established.

On Friday, Trump announced that American, Russian, and Ukrainian officials would meet in Saudi Arabia next week to discuss the process of ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.