However, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine-Russia talks, retired General Keith Kellogg, will not be in attendance, the officials said.
The officials also said there are no plans for representatives from other major European powers to join the talks. That could rankle NATO allies which have publicly urged President Donald Trump to ensure they have a seat at the negotiating table.
The meeting could mark a major moment in Trump’s quest for a peace process, and would also mark the first major meeting of Russian and Ukrainian representatives since the onset of the war in 2022.
Mike McCaul , a Republican lawmaker from Texas, confirmed the plans for Waltz and Witkoff to join Rubio in Saudi Arabia to start talks between the two warring sides during an interview at the POLITICO Pub on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Two U.S. officials, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiation matters, confirmed the plans but did not elaborate on other details about the meetings, including which Ukrainian or Russian negotiators would take part. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian government and the State Department didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Trump on Wednesday told reporters he expects to hold a face-to-face meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia. “We ultimately expect to meet,” he said. “We’ll meet in Saudi Arabia, see if we can get something something done.”
