Trump team heading to Saudi Arabia for Ukraine-Russia peace talks, Politico reports

Senior U.S. officials are heading to Saudi Arabia for peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives, Politico reported on Feb. 15, citing a Republican lawmaker and two U.S. officials familiar with the meeting.

U.S. President Donald Trump has previously said he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia for peace talks. It was not immediately clear as to whether Trump will join his top officials in Riyadh.

The two unnamed U.S. officials did not provide to Politico specific details about timelines for the start of negotiation. However, Mike McCaul, a Republican congressman confirmed to Politico that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will joining State Secretary in Riyadh in the coming days.

U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg will not be present. The official is currently at the top European security conference and is expected to visit Ukraine.

Request for comment by Politico to Ukraine's government as well as the U.S. State Department went unanswered.

Earlier in the day, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Western leaders attended the Munich Security Conference focused on Ukraine.

During a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, Zelensky said that Ukraine was "ready to move towards real and guaranteed peace as quickly as possible."

"We sincerely appreciate President Trump's determination to help stop the war and provide Ukraine with justice and security guarantees," Zelensky added.

European officials will not be present at the upcoming peace talks in Saudi Arabia, U.S. officials said, echoing previous statements by Kellogg.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference earlier in the day, Kellogg said that Europe will not be directly involved in negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine, but its interests will be considered.