Trump comments on Ukraine's absence from talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia

US President Donald Trump, commenting on Ukraine’s possible disappointment over its absence from the talks between the US and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia, has said that he himself was "disappointed" by the prolonged duration of the war.

Trump was asked what he thought about Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia for three years, possibly feeling betrayed or disappointed over not having been invited to the talks.

"I’m very disappointed, I hear that they're upset about not having a seat [at the talks], well, they had a seat for three years and a long time before that," Trump said to journalists at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump once again claimed that "this could have been settled very easily" and that a "half baked negotiator could have settled this".

On 18 February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin aide Yuriy Ushakov met with a US delegation in Saudi Arabia. The US was represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Steve Witkoff.

The US and Russian delegations, during a meeting in Riyadh, agreed to "address irritants to bilateral relationship" and continue to work on preparing talks on Russia's war against Ukraine.

They also agreed to appoint high-level teams for Ukraine-related talks.

Fox News’ White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported that the US and Russia are discussing a three-phase peace plan for Ukraine, which includes a ceasefire, elections in Ukraine and ultimately signing a final agreement.