Putin: No one will exclude Ukraine from the negotiation process.

This is reported by the Russian agency Interfax.

According to Putin, during a phone conversation, U.S. President Donald Trump told him that the negotiation process would involve both Russia and Ukraine.

“Therefore, there are no grounds for such a reaction to the Russian-American meeting,” added the leader of Russia.

Furthermore, Putin mentioned that Russia “will undoubtedly inform its friends” in BRICS about the outcomes of the Russian-American negotiations.

“We are aware of their interest in resolving the Russian-Ukrainian relations and settling this crisis,” said the Russian leader.

Putin also confirmed his desire to hold a meeting with Trump, but stated that “it needs to be prepared to achieve results.”

Previously, the Kremlin reported that they expect two separate dialogues within the framework of peace talks — one bilateral with the U.S. and another involving Ukraine.

U.S. and Russia Negotiations

On February 18, a meeting took place in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, between American and Russian delegations. Bloomberg reported that the Saudi prince suggested inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to these negotiations, but representatives from the U.S. and Russia insisted on a bilateral meeting.

After the talks, Russian negotiators stated that they went “quite well” and that the teams from Russia and the U.S. would “in due course” begin contacts regarding Ukraine. Among other things, the U.S. and Russia agreed to restore the staffing of their embassies in Washington and Moscow, respectively.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, noting that they had “the same atmosphere” as the Russian ultimatum at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. He also postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia until March.