This is the most important meeting between the two sides since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and comes after the Trump-Putin communication.
The US and Russia are set to hold talks in Saudi Arabia today to end the war in Ukraine - in the first face-to-face discussions between the two countries since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the BBC, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to meet this morning in Riyadh with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but neither Ukraine nor any European country has been invited.
This is the most significant meeting between the two sides since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and comes after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed to immediately begin negotiations to end the war last week.
On the American side, US Secretary of State Mark Rubio, Trump's national security adviser Mike Walz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are part of the negotiating team. Witkoff is a billionaire real estate developer and personal friend of Trump and has already been at the center of international talks since Trump won the presidential election - earlier this month he met with Putin on a different subject.
For the Russians, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov will participate in the talks. Both Lavrov and Ushakov are highly experienced diplomats with many years at Putin's side, helping him implement Russian foreign policy.
Russia hopes the United States will listen to Moscow's position in talks on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund. Dmitriev, a former Goldman Sachs banker with American training, played a role in early contacts between Moscow and Washington during Trump's first term as president from 2016-2020.
The US says the talks are a first step to see if Russia is "serious" about ending the war, while Moscow says the goal is to normalize its relations with the US. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday he would not recognize any agreements resulting from talks in which Kiev is not involved.
It is noted that Lavrov has been in Riyadh since yesterday, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry on the X platform.
"I don't think people should see this as something about details or advancing some kind of negotiation," said US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, has told state media that the talks will focus on "how to start negotiations on Ukraine."
It is noted that both Ukraine and Russia have ruled out territorial concessions, and Putin last year demanded that Kiev withdraw its troops from even more territory.
Meanwhile, Zelensky traveled to Turkey on Tuesday to discuss the war with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and then will travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, but he does not plan to meet with American or Russian officials. Zelensky said last week that he was ready to meet with Putin, but only after Kiev and its allies have a common position on ending the war.
European leaders also want a role in any negotiations to end the war. They held an emergency summit on Monday, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying no decisions should be made without them.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said yesterday that he would consider sending British troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, while some other countries appear reluctant.
Macron's communication with Trump and Zelensky
French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday that he had spoken to both Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky to brief them on yesterday's meeting of European leaders in Paris.
UK and EU leaders met yesterday for an emergency summit on Ukraine. It has not been made public what was discussed but reports indicate that the countries were divided over whether Europe would send peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire agreement.
Writing on Platform X late Monday, Macron said a peace deal “must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for Ukrainians.” “We will work on this together with all the Europeans, the Americans and the Ukrainians,” Macron said. “This is the key.
The White House described the conversation with Macron as friendly, while Zelensky said they agreed that any security guarantees for Ukraine must be "strong and credible."
Russia: Talks with US will not impact cooperation with Iran
The start of Russia-US talks will have no impact on Moscow's cooperation with Tehran, the TASS news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
"Russia is ready to help Iran resolve the problems related to its nuclear program," Peskov added.
Source: skai.gr
