Zelensky warns Ukraine won't accept decisions made without them in peace talks
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the 61st Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15 in Munich, Germany. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a "Meet the Press" interview aired Sunday that he would "never accept" decisions made by the U.S. and Russia about Ukraine's future, even as the two nations appear poised to engage in peace talks this week.
The big picture: President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, confirmed Sunday on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that he and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz will travel to Saudi Arabia to "hopefully make some really good progress" on the Russia-Ukraine peace process.
- Zelensky had said hours before that Ukraine was not invited to participate in any peace talks, a notion which Witkoff pushed back against to Fox News' Maria Bartiromo.
- "Ukraine is part of the talks," Witkoff said, adding, "I don't think this is about excluding anybody."
Zoom out: European allies had also expressed concern Ukraine wouldn't get an equal say in peace talks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shocked NATO allies by declaring key bargaining chips off the table.
- Hegesth's comments sparked concerns over what concessions the White House might be preemptively offering the Kremlin. President Trump himself contended that NATO membership isn't "practical" for Ukraine and that it's "unlikely" the nation gets "all of its land back."
- In his "Meet the Press" interview, Zelensky warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will wage war against NATO" and is only waiting for the military alliance to weaken, perhaps if the U.S. "will think to take its military from Europe."
- Vice President JD Vance warned that Europe had to be ready to defend itself in a speech at the Munich Security Conference last week.
NATO defense ministers and European officials have rebuked the U.S.' shifting posture. But Waltz said that while allies may not like "the sequencing that is going on" as negotiations begin, he pushed back on "any notion that they aren't being consulted."
- He added, "At the end of the day, though, this is going to be under President Trump's leadership that we get this war to an end."
- When asked whether Ukrainians will be dealt in to the negotiations, Waltz pointed to discussions between U.S. officials and Kyiv over "a partnership" to be "co-invested" with the U.S.
- Trump recently demanded that Ukraine grant access to some $500 billion in rare earth minerals in return for U.S. military support.
Yes, but: Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that any talks are in early stages.
- Asked who he would be meeting in Saudi Arabia, Rubio said "nothing has been finalized yet."
- "It's a bit premature," he said. "I know there's been a lot of reaction to it because there's been no conversation about it or any serious conversation."
- If talks crossed a line into "real negotiations," he said, Ukraine and European nations "will have to be involved." But he added, "We're just not there yet."
Asked if he believes Trump is negotiating in good faith, Zelensky said, "I hope so."
- Without U.S. support, Zelensky said there's a "low chance" Ukraine survives.
Go deeper: Trump strangles Europe
Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout and the headline changed to reflect the latest developments.
