Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy postponed his scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18.
Speaking earlier on Tuesday in Turkey, Zelenskiy said he had postponed his visit to the kingdom, which was originally planned for Wednesday, until March 10, saying he did not want “any coincidences.”
The decision follows a Feb. 18 meeting between top U.S. and Russian officials in Riyadh to discuss a negotiation framework for ending the Russia-Ukraine war—six days before the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The meeting, mediated by the Saudis, resulted in the United States and Russia agreeing to high-level negotiations to end the war, increasing staffing at the U.S. embassy in Russia and the Russian embassy in Washington, and improving economic relations between the two nations.
Ukraine was not present at the meeting.
“One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace. We must take action, and today we took an important step forward,” she added.
Lavrov said “the conversation was very useful” and that the two sides “not only listened but also heard each other.”
Zelenskyy has previously said that Ukraine would not accept any peace deal without being involved in negotiations.
European leaders met in Paris on Feb. 17 amid concerns about the Trump administration’s posture on Ukraine—such as saying that NATO membership is not in Kyiv’s future and that taking back land that Russia seized is unrealistic.
