Top US and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for discussions aimed at resetting their strained relationship, marking the first high-level talks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Both sides tempered expectations, acknowledging that this initial meeting was not likely to yield immediate breakthroughs. However, the fact that the talks were taking place raised concerns in Ukraine and Europe, particularly following recent US gestures towards the Kremlin.
The talks began at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh with no visible gestures of warmth, such as handshakes, and no public statements. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, joined by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, sat across from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov was accompanied by senior Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban were also present.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed frustration over Kyiv’s exclusion from the discussions, noting that Ukraine was not invited. Meanwhile, European leaders convened in Paris for urgent talks on how to respond to what seemed like a sudden shift in US foreign policy under President Trump.
The possibility of a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was also on the agenda. Trump has been pushing for a swift resolution to the three-year-long conflict in Ukraine, while Russia sees this outreach as an opportunity to secure key concessions.
Zelensky commented that Kyiv was not informed about the Riyadh meeting, saying that Ukraine could not accept any agreements made without its involvement.
As the talks unfolded, the Kremlin stressed that any lasting resolution in Ukraine would require addressing broader European security issues. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov further stated that while Ukraine had the sovereign right to seek EU membership, Russia remained opposed to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations. “A long-term resolution is impossible without comprehensive consideration of security issues across the continent,” Peskov said, adding that Putin was open to discussions with Zelensky if necessary.
China also weighed in on the discussions, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun welcoming efforts toward peace in Ukraine. However, he emphasized that all stakeholders should be included in the peace process.
Ahead of the talks, Russia had signaled that both Putin and Trump were eager to move beyond “abnormal relations,” with no room for European involvement at the negotiating table. Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev expressed hope for “progress in the near future,” adding that proposals were being considered by the US.
Peskov stated that the Riyadh talks would focus on restoring the broader Russian-American relationship, while also discussing potential negotiations for a Ukrainian resolution and the logistics of a potential Putin-Trump summit. Moscow, long critical of NATO’s presence in Europe, has been pushing for direct talks with the US on broader security concerns, not just the immediate conflict in Ukraine.
The prospects for any breakthrough on halting the fighting in Ukraine remain uncertain. Nearly three years after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, both Moscow and Washington view Tuesday’s meeting as the beginning of what could be a prolonged diplomatic process.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce cautioned against viewing the talks as negotiations that would yield immediate results. Russia’s Ushakov, meanwhile, indicated that the discussions would focus on how to begin negotiations on Ukraine.
While both Russia and Ukraine have ruled out territorial concessions, the conflict remains deeply entrenched. Zelensky, in Turkey for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Zelensky stated last week that he would be willing to meet with Putin, but only after Ukraine and its allies have a unified stance on how to end the war.
As European leaders met in Paris for an emergency security summit, Lavrov reiterated that Russia saw no role for them in Ukraine-related negotiations.
The choice of Saudi Arabia as the venue for these talks, once a diplomatic outcast under the former US administration, has not gone unnoticed. “Europe has traditionally been the place for US-Russia meetings, but that’s not an option in the current environment,” said James Dorsey, an analyst at the National University of Singapore. “You either go to Asia or you go to Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Moscow enters the talks with momentum from recent battlefield gains, while Kyiv faces the looming challenge of potentially losing vital US military support, which has faced long-standing criticism from Trump.
AFP
