Riyadh hosts pivotal U.S.-Russia talks amid Ukraine tensions
In the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, the first high-level meeting between U.S. and Russian delegations since the start of the war in Ukraine will take place on Tuesday. The talks will focus on rebuilding bilateral relations and preparing for possible peace negotiations regarding Ukraine.
The heads of diplomacy will lead the delegations from both countries: Marco Rubio for the U.S. and Sergey Lavrov for Russia. On the Russian side, the president's advisor Yuri Ushakov will also be at the table, and representing America will be the White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and the U.S. Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
U.S. and Russian representatives to meet in Riyadh
Both sides of Tuesday's meeting emphasize they do not expect concrete agreements in Riyadh. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce explained that the discussion would primarily build on the Trump-Putin phone call, focusing on assessing potential next steps and exploring possible avenues for progress.
She emphasized that Washington primarily wants to check if "the Russians are serious about wanting to resume dialogue."
I don't think this will be something detailed or a step towards any negotiations, she noted.
Meanwhile, Ushakov said that Moscow and Washington have not yet agreed on how to start negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine, and the Russian delegation is approaching the talks with a "business" attitude.
Talks without Ukraine and the EU
Neither Ukraine nor the European Union received invitations to the talks, which caused outrage in both Kyiv and most European capitals. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that he would not recognize the outcome of talks in Riyadh, as any negotiations concerning Ukraine are futile without Ukraine.
Nonetheless, the U.S. Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, assured on Monday that no one will impose a peace agreement with Russia on Zelensky and that it will be up to the Ukrainian president and the people of that country to decide on peace with Russia.
He emphasized that involving everyone in negotiations for a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia would not be a wise approach.
In contrast to Tuesday's meeting, meetings of European leaders convened by French President Emmanuel Macron were held in Paris on Monday. After the meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa declared that Ukraine deserves peace through strength, with strong security guarantees.
