GERARD FILITTI - UKRAINE WAR

TOP RUSSIAN, US OFFICIALS MEET BEGIN TALKS ON UKRAINE WAR WITHOUT UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS

Senior Russian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving relations and an end to Moscow's war in Ukraine ... without representatives from Kyiv. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov led the delegations that met at the Diriyah Palace in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh. Rubio was accompanied by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while Lavrov brought along the Kremlin's foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov. Ukrainian officials are not participating in Tuesday's meeting and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Kyiv will not accept the outcome if his country is not in attendance for the talks. The meeting symbolizes another significant step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia. The event was meant to lead to a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Political Strategist // The Lawfare Project Senior Counsel, GERARD FILITTI