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Antifake / FactcheckTodayProfessor Ponomaryova: Zelensky was "hanging around" the palace during the U.S.-Russia talks. We fact-checked this statement
On the days leading up to the Russia-U.S. talks—February 16 and 17—Volodymyr Zelensky was indeed in Abu Dhabi.
Volodymyr Zelensky was "hanging around" near the Riyadh Diriyah Palace during the Russian-American talks, said MGIMO professor and political science doctor Elena Ponomaryova on BelTA's YouTube channel. The Weekly Top Fake team investigated where the Ukrainian President actually was at that time.
The first talks between Russian and U.S. representatives since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine took place in Saudi Arabia on February 18, 2025. Discussing this meeting two days later on the "In the Know" project on BelTA's YouTube channel, Elena Ponomaryova claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky was waiting until the last moment for an invitation to attend.
"According to insider information, he (Volodymyr Zelensky - editor's note) was hanging around nearby. He first went to Abu Dhabi and stayed in some expensive hotel. Then he headed to Riyadh to be on standby, possibly even lingering near the entrance of the royal palace to get noticed."
On the days leading up to the Russia-U.S. talks—February 16 and 17—Volodymyr Zelensky was indeed in Abu Dhabi. There, he met with the leader of the United Arab Emirates. The parties signed an agreement that facilitates the sale of Ukrainian goods in the UAE.
However, Zelensky did not travel to Saudi Arabia and could not have been near the royal palace on the day of the talks. On February 18, the Ukrainian President was in Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They discussed "global processes that could help end the war" and the strengthening of the partnership between their countries. Additionally, Zelensky stated that he was unaware of the Russia-U.S. talks in Riyadh. It came as a surprise to him, prompting him to reschedule his long-planned visit to Saudi Arabia from February 19 to March.
