US to launch Russia-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia to end war

• Trump team to include Security Adviser Mike Waltz besides Rubio. 
• Trump officials didn't disclose time and venue of peace talks.
• Rubio called up Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Saturday.

WASHINGTON: A high-level delegation from US President Donald Trump’s administration is set to begin crucial discussions in Saudi Arabia with Russian and Ukrainian officials, aiming to broker an end to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, US officials said on Saturday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Trump’s Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia for the discussions, the officials confirmed.

The move comes just days after Trump announced that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since returning to office, and that they had agreed to initiate talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine.

The officials did not provide further details on when the meetings would take place or when the delegation would travel.

However, Rubio was already scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia as part of his first tour of the Middle East, which began on Saturday when he arrived in Israel, an AFP journalist reported.

Earlier on Saturday, Rubio held a telephone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, during which he "reaffirmed President Trump’s commitment to finding an end to the conflict in Ukraine," the State Department said.

Former property developer Witkoff played a significant role in a prisoner exchange deal earlier this week, which paved the way for the call between Trump and Putin.

Witkoff even travelled to Moscow to bring home US detainee Marc Fogel.

In a social media post announcing the call with Putin earlier this week, Trump stated that he had tasked Rubio, Waltz, Witkoff, and CIA chief John Ratcliffe to immediately begin working on a deal with Russia to end the Ukraine war.

Kyiv and its European allies, however, were caught off guard by Trump’s sudden move to start negotiations with Russia.

Both fear being excluded from discussions on Ukraine’s future following the largest land invasion in Europe since the Second World War.