President approach to ending has left European allies and Ukrainian officials worried they are being largely sidelined by the new U.S. administration as Washington and Moscow plan

With the three-year war grinding on, Trump is sending Secretary of State national security adviser and special envoy Steve Witkoff to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian counterparts, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the upcoming diplomatic efforts and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It is unclear to what extent Ukrainian or European officials will be represented in discussions expected to take place in Riyadh in the coming days. The official said the United States sees negotiations as early-stage and fluid, and who ultimately ends up at the table could change.

In an exchange with reporters Sunday, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 鈥渨ill be involved鈥� in the negotiations. Trump offered no further explanation.

The outreach comes this past week, including Vice President raised new concerns in Kyiv and other European capitals that the Republican administration is intent on quick resolution to the conflict with minimum input from Europe.

鈥淒ecades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending,鈥� said Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. 鈥淔rom now on, things will be different, and Europe needs to adjust to that.鈥�

White House officials on Sunday pushed back against the notion that Europe has been left out of the conversation. Trump spoke by phone in recent days with French President Emmanuel Macron and is expected to consult with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer this week.

During his visit to Munich and Paris, Vance held talks with Macron, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte as well as Zelenskyy.

鈥淣ow they may not like some of this sequencing that is going on in these negotiations but I have to push back on this 鈥� notion that they aren鈥檛 being consulted,鈥� Waltz told 鈥淔ox 亚洲天堂 Sunday.鈥�

鈥淭hey absolutely are and at the end of the day, though, this is going to be under President Trump鈥檚 leadership that we get this war to an end,鈥欌�� Waltz said.

Rubio, who was in Israel on Sunday before heading to Saudi Arabia, said the U.S. is taking a careful approach as it reengages with Moscow after the Biden administration鈥檚 clampdown on contacts with the Kremlin following the February 2022 invasion.

Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week and the two leaders agreed to begin high-level talks on ending the war. They were initially presented as two-way, but Trump later affirmed that Ukraine would have a seat 鈥� though he did not say at what stage.

It was not immediately clear whether any Ukrainians would take part in the upcoming Riyadh talks. A Ukrainian delegation was in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to pave the way for a possible visit by Zelenskyy, according to Ukraine鈥檚 economy minister.

Starmer, the U.K. premier, for Monday鈥檚 Daily Telegraph that Ukraine must be involved in any negotiations on its future 鈥渂ecause anything less would accept Putin鈥檚 position that Ukraine is not a real nation.

Starmer also recalled the U.S. disastrous troop withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Joe Biden. 鈥淲e cannot have another situation like Afghanistan, where the U.S. negotiated directly with the Taliban and cut out the Afghan government,鈥� Starmer said. 鈥淚 feel sure that President Trump will want to avoid this too.鈥�

Trump on Sunday said he believed Putin is eager for a deal, while also noting that Russia has historically impressed on the battlefield.

鈥淚 think he wants to stop fighting,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淭hey have a big powerful machine, you understand that. they defeated Hitler and they defeated Napoleon. They鈥檝e been fighting a long time.鈥�

Heather Conley, a deputy assistant secretary of state for Central Europe during Republican President George W. Bush鈥檚 administration, said that with Trump鈥檚 current approach to Moscow, the U.S. appears to be 鈥渟eeking to create a new international approach based on a modern-day concert of great powers.鈥�

鈥淎s in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it is only for the great powers to decide the fate of nations and to take 鈥� either by purchase or force 鈥� that which strengthens the great powers鈥� economic and security interests,鈥� Conley said. 鈥淓ach of these powers posit claims or coerce countries in their respective regional spheres of influence.鈥�

There is some debate inside the administration about its developing approach to Moscow, with some more in favor of a rapid rapprochement and others wary that Putin is looking to fray the Euro-Atlantic alliance as he aims to reclaim Russian status and wield greater influence on the continent, according to the U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Trump said last week that he would like to see Russia rejoin what is now the Group of Seven major economies. Russia was suspended from the G8 after Moscow鈥檚 2014 annexation of Ukraine鈥檚 Crimea region.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to have them back. I think it was a mistake to throw them out. Look, it鈥檚 not a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia,鈥� Trump told reporters. 鈥淚 think Putin would love to be back.鈥�

The anticipated Saudi talks also come over Trump鈥檚 push to get the Ukrainians to agree to give the U.S access to Ukraine鈥檚 deposits of rare earth minerals in exchange for some $66 billion in military aid that Washington has provided Kyiv since the start of the war, as well as future defense assistance.

Zelenskyy, who met on Friday with Vance and other senior U.S. officials in Munich, said he had directed Ukraine鈥檚 minister to not sign off, at least for now. He said in an interview that the deal as presented by the U.S. was too focused on American interests and did not include security guarantees for Ukraine.

The White House called Zelenskyy鈥檚 decision 鈥渟hort-sighted,鈥� and argued that a rare-earth鈥檚 deal would tie Ukraine closer to the United States 鈥� something that Moscow doesn鈥檛 want to see.

European officials were also left unsettled by some of Vance鈥檚 remarks during his five-day visit to Paris and Munich last week in which he on free speech and illegal migration on the continent. He warned that they risk losing public support if they don鈥檛 quickly change course.

Vance also met while in Munich with the co-leader and candidate for chancellor of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party in this month鈥檚 election.

Throughout Europe, officials are now looking to recalibrate their approach in the face of the Trump administration鈥檚 unfolding Ukraine strategy.

Macron will convene top European countries in Paris on Monday for an emergency 鈥渨orking meeting鈥� to discuss next steps for Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-No毛l Barrot said Sunday.

鈥淎 wind of unity is blowing over Europe, as we perhaps have not felt since the COVID period,鈥� Barrot told public broadcaster France-Info.