By MATTHEW LEE, JUSTIN SPIKE and BARRY HATTON, Related Press
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Senior American and Russian officers, together with the international locations’ high diplomats, will maintain talks on enhancing their ties and negotiating an finish to the warfare in Ukraine, officers stated Monday, in what could be essentially the most important assembly between the edges since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor practically three years in the past.
The talks, scheduled for Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, mark one other pivotal step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. coverage on isolating Russia, and are supposed to pave the way in which for a gathering between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The latest U.S. diplomatic blitz on the warfare has despatched Kyiv and key allies scrambling to make sure a seat on the desk amid considerations that Washington and Moscow might press forward with a deal that received’t be favorable to them. France known as an emergency assembly of European Union international locations and the U.Ok. on Monday to resolve learn how to reply.
Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s overseas affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov set off for the Saudi capital on Monday, in response to Russian state TV. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, nationwide safety adviser Mike Waltz and Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet the Russian delegation, State Division spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated. Ukraine is not going to take part.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated the talks will probably be primarily centered on “restoring the entire range of U.S.-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement and organizing a meeting of the two presidents.” Bruce stated the assembly is geared toward figuring out how severe the Russians are about wanting peace and whether or not detailed negotiations may be began.
“I think the goal, obviously, for everyone is to determine if this is something that can move forward,” she advised reporters touring with Rubio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bruce stated that despite the fact that Ukraine wouldn’t be on the desk for Tuesday’s talks, precise peace negotiations would solely happen with Ukraine’s involvement. Kyiv’s participation in any peace talks was a bedrock of U.S. coverage below Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.
Witkoff didn’t immediately reply to a query about whether or not Ukraine must quit a “significant portion” of its territory as a part of any negotiated settlement. U.S. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth stated final week that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and steered Kyiv ought to abandon hopes of profitable all its territory again from Russia — two key objects on Putin’s want record.
The talks would mark a major enlargement of U.S.-Russian contacts, practically three years right into a warfare that has seen ties fall to the bottom stage in a long time. Lavrov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked briefly on the sidelines of a G-20 assembly in India practically two years in the past. The ten-minute dialog didn’t ease tensions, and in reality they elevated within the months that adopted. Within the fall of 2022, U.S. and Russian spymasters met in Turkey amid Washington’s considerations that Moscow might resort to nuclear weapons amid battlefield setbacks.
Tuesday’s talks observe a phone name between Trump and Putin through which the American president stated they “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.” The decision upended years of U.S. coverage, ending the isolation of Moscow over its Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. After the decision, Trump phoned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to tell him about their dialog.
Trump on Sunday advised reporters that Zelenskyy “will be involved” however didn’t elaborate. The Ukrainian president stated Monday his nation had not been invited to the upcoming talks and received’t settle for the result if Kyiv doesn’t participate.
The U.S.-Russia talks would “yield no results,” given the absence of any Ukrainian officers, Zelenskyy stated on a convention name with journalists from the United Arab Emirates.
Zelenskyy stated he would journey to Turkey on Monday and to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, however that his journey to the Arab nation was unrelated to the U.S.-Russia talks.
EU officers have pushed for the bloc — which together with the U.S. has staunchly supported Kyiv — to have a say in any Ukraine peace talks, and Zelenskyy and his officers additionally insisted that Europe must be current on the negotiations.
Lavrov on Monday was dismissive when requested a couple of doable function for Europe, saying that “I don’t know what they have to do at the negotiations table.”
Requested about expectations from the talks in Riyadh, he stated that Trump and Putin of their name “agreed to leave behind that absolutely abnormal period in relations between our great powers when they effectively halted any contacts except for some technical and humanitarian issues.”
“The presidents agreed that it’s necessary to resume a dialogue on all issues that can be solved with Russian and U.S. participation,” Lavrov stated. “They mentioned the Ukrainian settlement along with the situation in the Middle East and some other regions of the world which aren’t quite calm at the moment.”
Lavrov bluntly dominated out the likelihood that Moscow would cede any of its territorial features as a part of a possible settlement, saying that “there is not even a thought” about it.
Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the 4 areas that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022 however by no means totally captured and resign its bid to affix NATO as a part of any potential peace deal — calls for Kyiv has rejected.
Zelenskyy additionally confirmed that Trump’s particular envoy for Russia and Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, would arrive in Kyiv on Feb. 20 for “broad conversations about security guarantees.”
Zelenskyy stated he needed to convey Kellogg to the entrance line and hoped the American would take what he realized from his Ukraine journey again to the White Home, including: “I think after he goes back to the United States we will have an understanding on when I will have a meeting with President Trump.”
Zelenskyy stated the potential for opening up his nation’s mineral sources to the U.S., as Trump has steered, would want to return with a written settlement on safety ensures for Ukraine. Ukraine and several other European international locations have insisted that with out safety ensures, Russia might invade the nation once more, even when a settlement is reached.
These ensures might embrace NATO membership, which Hegseth poured chilly water on, weapons and financial assist, Zelenskyy stated.
Ukraine has additionally expressed hopes of becoming a member of the EU, however that’s sophisticated and might take years.
Initially Revealed: February 17, 2025 at 8:30 AM EST
