U.S. Center East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Nationwide Safety Advisor Mike Waltz, Saudi Arabia’s Overseas Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, Nationwide Safety Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban, the Russian president’s overseas coverage advisor Yuri Ushakov, and Russia’s Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov attend a gathering collectively at Riyadh’s Diriyah Palace on February 18, 2025.
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Russian and U.S. officers ended their first formal assembly in years on Tuesday, after greater than 4 hours of laying the groundwork for talks to finish the struggle in Ukraine.
The assembly between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov started earlier Tuesday morning in Saudi Arabia and marked the primary formal sit-down assembly between high U.S. and Russian diplomats since January 2022, when then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Lavrov met in Geneva simply weeks earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine.
U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and Nationwide Safety Adviser Mike Waltz participated within the talks, whereas Lavrov was accompanied by Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov, in response to Russian state media.
Ushakov informed Russian state information businesses TASS and RIA Novosti that separate groups of Russian and U.S. negotiators will start contact on Ukraine in due time, in response to feedback translated by NBC Information.
Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov (C) and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Overseas Coverage Advisor Yuri Ushakov (2nd L) arrive for a gathering between Russia and america aimed toward enhancing relations between the 2 nations and addressing the battle in Ukraine, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 18 February 2025.
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The high-profile assembly comes after U.S. President Donald Trump introduced final week that he and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations to finish the three-year struggle in Ukraine.
Each side had performed down the potential consequence of this primary assembly. State Division Spokesperson Tammy Bruce informed reporters on Monday that the Riyadh assembly was designed to “decide if the Russians maybe are severe, and in the event that they’re on the identical web page.”
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Monday that the assembly was to debate restoring bilateral relations and “preparations for potential Ukraine peace talks.”
On Tuesday, the spokesman stated that Putin was ready to speak to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “if vital,” however stated that “the authorized foundation of agreements wants dialogue contemplating the fact that Zelenskyy’s legitimacy could be questioned.”
Russia has downplayed Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as a consequence of martial regulation stopping new elections within the nation however Kyiv says it is impracticable to carry a poll throughout wartime.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio (L) meets with Saudi Overseas Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (R) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17, 2025.
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Kirill Dmitriev, the pinnacle of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, was additionally part of the Russian delegation in Riyadh together with his presence signalling that Moscow was eager to emphasise the financial advantages of restoring ties.
Chatting with Russian media shops early Tuesday, Dmitriev estimated that “U.S. companies misplaced round $300 billion from leaving Russia” and stated there was a “enormous financial toll on many nations from what’s taking place proper now, and we consider a manner ahead is thru options,” he stated, in response to a news agency Interfax report.
Ukraine and Europe frozen out
Officers from Ukraine won’t be current on the talks in Riyadh, Kyiv stated, and European allies additionally stay frozen out of the discussions for now.
Kyiv’s management has warned that it’ll not comply with any peace deal that goes in opposition to its pursuits, whereas European leaders warned on the Munich Safety Convention final weekend that any settlement made with out its involvement wouldn’t work.
European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday the place they agreed on the necessity to sharply enhance protection spending however couldn’t agree on whether or not to ship peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as a part of a post-war plan.
The U.Ok. has stated it’s keen to ship peacekeeping troops to Ukraine however stated the U.S. would wish to supply a “backstop” to assist the deployment, whereas Denmark and France signaled a willingness to contemplate sending troops to the nation.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer throughout a gathering on safety points in Europe on the Elysée Palace on Feb. 17, 2025, in Paris.
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Different nations, together with a few of Ukraine’s greatest backers, Poland and Germany, are cautious, nevertheless. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was brazenly crucial of the concept, calling it “utterly untimely” and “extremely inappropriate” whereas the leaders of Italy, Spain and Norway seemed to be extra cynical in regards to the concept.
Anxious to stay near President Trump, U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is because of meet the president subsequent week, whereas French President Emmanuel Macron stated he’d spoken to Trump and Zelenskyy after the emergency summit.
“We search a powerful and lasting peace in Ukraine. To attain this, Russia should finish its aggression, and this should be accompanied by sturdy and credible safety ensures for the Ukrainians. In any other case, there’s a threat that this ceasefire will find yourself just like the Minsk agreements. We’ll work on this along with all Europeans, Individuals, and Ukrainians. That is the important thing,” Macron said on social media platform X.
