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The United States and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia for the first high -level negotiations between the two countries after the Kremlin's full -scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, along with other senior officials, met on Tuesday morning in the Diya Palace of Riyadh. The conversations that discussed the potential for finding a way to end the war in Ukraine did not include neither Kiev nor European representatives.
The absence of Ukrainian or European officials during the conversations, which took place more than four hours, confirmed the shocking change in US foreign policy under US President Donald Trump, who suggested that US assistance for Ukraine could end and that Kiev could ended and that Kiev may end and that Kiev can will probably have to give up territoryS
Kremlin Foreign Affairs Advisor Yuri Ushakov told Russian state television that the conversations were “serious”, but it was difficult to say whether the positions of Moscow and Washington were approaching.
“We discussed and outlined our principled positions and agreed that individual teams of negotiators would have a connection on this topic in a timely manner,” he said.
A US statement said the two countries agree to deal with the “stimuli” in their relations and to name teams to negotiate the “termination of conflict in Ukraine”.
The spokesman stressed that the process remains in its early stages, saying, “A phone call followed by a meeting is not enough to establish a lasting peace.”
Ushakov said that a meeting between Trump and Putin was mentioned, but no date was agreed. One meeting is “unlikely” to be held next week, he noted.
Julia Shapovalava, reporting from Moscow, said that, while neither the US nor Russia expects a quick breakthrough, “there is a lot of optimism in the air as well as skepticism.”
Ukraine requires “security guarantees”
Ukraine President Volodimir Zelenski said Kyiv was left in the dark for the conversations.
He said his country would not accept an agreement reached in his absence and requires “certain security guarantees” from the US and Europe.
“Under no circumstances will we never admit our occupied territories as part of Russia,” he quoted by the Turkish state media. “They are part of Ukraine.”
For his part, the Kremlin said that Putin was seriously dealing with an agreement to end the war and would prefer to do so peacefully.
However, Dmitry Peskov's spokesman claims that a viable, long -term agreement is impossible without “a complete consideration of security problems” in Europe.
Peskov also admitted that Ukraine has the right to join the European Union, but said Moscow has a “completely different position” with regard to the military unions, such as NATO.
This means that NATO has to completely deactivate the promise in 2008 that Ukraine will receive membership at a time, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova.
Beyond Ukraine, Russia is expecting “progress” with the United States on economic issues, said Kiril Dmitriev, head of the Russian direct investment fund.
“We have a series of suggestions that our colleagues think about. And I think in the next two to three months there will be progress in the not -so -distant future, said the manager of the Sovereign Wealth Fund for State TV.
The Russian economy is suffocated after the invasion of Ukraine through sanctions imposed by the United States and the EU.
Russian attacks of drones
The conversations come when Ukraine is constantly losing further for the greater Russian forces in grinding a three -year warWith fears that a reduction in US support can direct it to an adverse agreement.
Before the discussions on Tuesday, the Russian forces began a barrage of 176 drones in Ukraine, according to Kiev's military. Ukrainian Air Force has reported that most of the drones have been destroyed or disabled by congestion.
A Russian drone struck a residential building in Doliniska in the Kirovohrad area in Ukraine, injuring the mother and her two children and promoting an evacuation of 38 apartments, the regional administration reports. Four more residential buildings were damaged by fragments of drones in the Cherkassi area, according to local officials.
