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| US and Russia to explore closer relations after Ukraine talks in Riyadh | US and Russia to explore closer relations after Ukraine talks in Riyadh |
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| Marco Rubio says talks ‘first step of a long and difficult journey’ while Putin adviser says meeting ‘went well’ | Marco Rubio says talks ‘first step of a long and difficult journey’ while Putin adviser says meeting ‘went well’ |
| Top US and Russian officials have met in Saudi Arabia for the most extensive negotiations between the two countries in three years, agreeing to continue planning an end to the Ukraine war amid concerns in Kyiv and across Europe that Donald Trump could push for a settlement favouring Vladimir Putin. | Top US and Russian officials have met in Saudi Arabia for the most extensive negotiations between the two countries in three years, agreeing to continue planning an end to the Ukraine war amid concerns in Kyiv and across Europe that Donald Trump could push for a settlement favouring Vladimir Putin. |
| After the talks at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, which lasted almost five hours, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the two sides had agreed to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation. | After the talks at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, which lasted almost five hours, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the two sides had agreed to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation. |
| The statements highlighted a tectonic shift in Washington’s approach to Russia, moving away from the Biden administration’s efforts to isolate Moscow. | The statements highlighted a tectonic shift in Washington’s approach to Russia, moving away from the Biden administration’s efforts to isolate Moscow. |
| Rubio said an end to the Ukraine conflict must be acceptable to all involved, including Ukraine, Europe and Russia, adding that its European allies were consulted on Ukraine. Still, no Ukrainian or even European officials were present at the meeting. | Rubio said an end to the Ukraine conflict must be acceptable to all involved, including Ukraine, Europe and Russia, adding that its European allies were consulted on Ukraine. Still, no Ukrainian or even European officials were present at the meeting. |
| Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and Putin’s chief foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, were photographed earlier sitting across from Rubio, who attended the talks alongside the US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East. | Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and Putin’s chief foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, were photographed earlier sitting across from Rubio, who attended the talks alongside the US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East. |
| Shortly after the meeting, Ushakov said the two sides had agreed for negotiators to talk about Ukraine and had briefly discussed the conditions needed for a Putin-Trump summit, although he noted this was unlikely to take place next week. | Shortly after the meeting, Ushakov said the two sides had agreed for negotiators to talk about Ukraine and had briefly discussed the conditions needed for a Putin-Trump summit, although he noted this was unlikely to take place next week. |
| But the talks in the Saudi capital underscored the rapid pace of US efforts to halt the conflict, raising alarm in Ukraine and across Europe, where officials fear being sidelined in the negotiations. | |
| Ushakov further said the meeting “went well” and was “a serious conversation on all issues”. | Ushakov further said the meeting “went well” and was “a serious conversation on all issues”. |
| Ukrainian officials earlier said they had not been invited to the talks. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine would not accept any outcome reached without Kyiv’s involvement. | Ukrainian officials earlier said they had not been invited to the talks. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine would not accept any outcome reached without Kyiv’s involvement. |
| Speaking during a visit to Ankara where he held talks with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Zelenskyy said he was not prepared to give up territory to Russia. | Speaking during a visit to Ankara where he held talks with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Zelenskyy said he was not prepared to give up territory to Russia. |
| “Diplomacy does not mean surrendering the interests and sovereignty of our state,” he said at a meeting with representatives of the Crimean Tatar community. | “Diplomacy does not mean surrendering the interests and sovereignty of our state,” he said at a meeting with representatives of the Crimean Tatar community. |
| The discussions in Riyadh mark the first high-level attempt to negotiate an end to Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since the war’s early days, when talks collapsed over the Russian president’s demands. | |
| Despite the flurry of diplomacy, little is known about Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine or Russia’s willingness to engage, and Tuesday’s meeting offered few new clues. | Despite the flurry of diplomacy, little is known about Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine or Russia’s willingness to engage, and Tuesday’s meeting offered few new clues. |
| Both sides issued carefully worded statements when the talks concluded. Rubio said the meeting was “the first step of a long and difficult journey”, adding: “An end to the Ukraine conflict must be acceptable to all involved, including Ukraine, Europe and Russia.” | Both sides issued carefully worded statements when the talks concluded. Rubio said the meeting was “the first step of a long and difficult journey”, adding: “An end to the Ukraine conflict must be acceptable to all involved, including Ukraine, Europe and Russia.” |
| “This needs to be a permanent end to the war and not a temporary end as we’ve seen in the past,” said Waltz. | |
| “The practical reality is that there’s going to be some discussion of territory and there’s going to be discussion of security guarantees, those are just fundamental basics,” he added. | |
| Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said the two sides had started listening to each other but it was too early to talk about compromises. | Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said the two sides had started listening to each other but it was too early to talk about compromises. |
| Before the talks, Russian officials had said they would pursue “normalisation” with the US and lay the groundwork for a peace deal in Ukraine. But even before the meeting began, the US made several significant concessions to Putin, signalling that Ukraine would have to abandon its Nato ambitions and accept territorial losses. | |
| US officials have also proposed that Europe send a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine after a ceasefire, and EU officials met on Monday to discuss the possibility. | US officials have also proposed that Europe send a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine after a ceasefire, and EU officials met on Monday to discuss the possibility. |
| However, Moscow has repeatedly rejected the idea. Lavrov said that the deployment of Nato member troops in Ukraine, even if they were operating there under a different flag, was unacceptable. | |
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| “We explained to our colleagues today what President Putin has repeatedly stressed: that the expansion of Nato, the absorption of Ukraine by the North Atlantic alliance, is a direct threat to the interests of the Russian Federation, a direct threat to our sovereignty,” Lavrov said. | |
| He also rejected a US proposal that Russia and Ukraine halt strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure, falsely claiming that Russia had never endangered Ukraine’s civilian energy supply system. | |
| Before departing to Saudi Arabia, Lavrov said Russia had no intention of making territorial concessions to Ukraine during the peace talks. | |
| Putin has not commented publicly on the Saudi talks but told Trump last week during a phone call that Russia wanted to “settle the reasons for the conflict”. Some observers believe this suggests Russia may not limit its focus to Ukraine and may instead seek to reshape European security more broadly. | Putin has not commented publicly on the Saudi talks but told Trump last week during a phone call that Russia wanted to “settle the reasons for the conflict”. Some observers believe this suggests Russia may not limit its focus to Ukraine and may instead seek to reshape European security more broadly. |
| Moscow’s demands could resemble those it issued on the eve of its full-scale invasion in 2021: that Ukraine adopt a neutral status and that Nato halt the deployment of weapons to member states that joined after 1997, when the alliance began expanding to include former communist nations. This would affect much of eastern Europe including Poland and the Baltic states – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. | Moscow’s demands could resemble those it issued on the eve of its full-scale invasion in 2021: that Ukraine adopt a neutral status and that Nato halt the deployment of weapons to member states that joined after 1997, when the alliance began expanding to include former communist nations. This would affect much of eastern Europe including Poland and the Baltic states – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. |
| After the talks, Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, issued what appeared to be new conditions for peace, saying Russia was demanding “not just a pledge to deny Ukraine Nato membership but the annulment of the 2008 Bucharest summit declaration which promised Kyiv eventual membership without a specific timeline”. | After the talks, Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, issued what appeared to be new conditions for peace, saying Russia was demanding “not just a pledge to deny Ukraine Nato membership but the annulment of the 2008 Bucharest summit declaration which promised Kyiv eventual membership without a specific timeline”. |
| Putin has previously insisted that Ukraine drastically reduce its military forces, a move that many in Ukraine fear would leave it vulnerable to future Russian attacks. | Putin has previously insisted that Ukraine drastically reduce its military forces, a move that many in Ukraine fear would leave it vulnerable to future Russian attacks. |
| In Riyadh, Russia was also expected to leverage discussions on a potential Ukraine settlement to push for western sanctions relief, which have placed significant strain on its economy. | In Riyadh, Russia was also expected to leverage discussions on a potential Ukraine settlement to push for western sanctions relief, which have placed significant strain on its economy. |
| Leading Moscow’s economic negotiations is Dmitriev, the 49-year-old head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a close friend of Putin’s daughter. A former investment banker, Dmitriev has played a key role in Russia’s outreach to international investors. | |
| “US oil majors have done very well in Russia,” Dmitriev said in a brief interview on Tuesday morning before the talks began, suggesting that American companies could come back to Russia. “We believe that at some point they will return – why would they pass up the opportunities Russia has provided for access to its natural resources?” | “US oil majors have done very well in Russia,” Dmitriev said in a brief interview on Tuesday morning before the talks began, suggesting that American companies could come back to Russia. “We believe that at some point they will return – why would they pass up the opportunities Russia has provided for access to its natural resources?” |
| Tuesday’s talks in Riyadh offer Saudi Arabia and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an opportunity to assert themselves on the world stage. | Tuesday’s talks in Riyadh offer Saudi Arabia and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an opportunity to assert themselves on the world stage. |
| Once labelled a pariah by Biden over the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi leader has emerged as a key intermediary in discussions between Russia and the US. | |
| The latest US diplomatic push has left Kyiv and key allies scrambling to secure a seat at the table, fearing Washington and Moscow could move forward with a deal that sidelines their interests. In response, France convened an emergency meeting of EU nations and the UK on Monday to coordinate a response. | The latest US diplomatic push has left Kyiv and key allies scrambling to secure a seat at the table, fearing Washington and Moscow could move forward with a deal that sidelines their interests. In response, France convened an emergency meeting of EU nations and the UK on Monday to coordinate a response. |
| Emmanuel Macron announced after the meeting that he had spoken with Trump and Zelenskyy. “We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” Macron wrote on X. | Emmanuel Macron announced after the meeting that he had spoken with Trump and Zelenskyy. “We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” Macron wrote on X. |
| Still, the security talks in Paris yielded no concrete measures, as European leaders struggled to present a united front amid divisions over the deployment of troops to Ukraine. | Still, the security talks in Paris yielded no concrete measures, as European leaders struggled to present a united front amid divisions over the deployment of troops to Ukraine. |