On Tuesday, February 18, a highly anticipated meeting took place between American and Russian teams in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. State Department stated after the meeting that this discussion was “an important step forward,” and both sides reached four points of consensus. Russian negotiators indicated that the discussions on the Ukraine issue were positive. However, the meeting did not confirm a meeting time between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin.
The American team participating in the talks included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The Russian team consisted of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund.
According to U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, the U.S. aims to stop the bloodshed and is utilizing its global influence to unite countries. She mentioned that President Trump is the only world leader capable of getting Ukraine and Russia to agree on this point.
Bruce added that during the U.S.-Russia talks, the two countries’ officials reached the following agreements:
– Establish a mechanism for consultations to address factors impacting U.S.-Russia bilateral relations, with the goal of taking necessary steps to normalize the operations of each country’s diplomatic missions.
– Appoint senior-level teams on both sides to work towards swiftly ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict in a lasting, sustainable, and mutually acceptable manner.
– Lay the groundwork for future cooperation on shared geopolitical interests and historic economic and investment opportunities resulting from successfully ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
– Maintain contact to ensure this process moves forward in a timely and productive manner.
Regarding Trump’s call with Putin last week and the U.S.-Russia meeting on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, Bruce stated, “A call and a meeting are not enough to establish lasting peace. We must take action, and today we took an important step forward.”
BBC reported that the U.S. State Department informed reporters that the talks in Riyadh lasted over four hours, including a working lunch.
Putin’s foreign policy advisor Ushakov told Channel One, a Russian state-controlled television channel, that the date for a meeting between Putin and Trump has not been confirmed and a meeting next week is “unlikely.”
“Our delegations need to work closely. We are ready for this, but it is still difficult to determine the specific date for the leaders’ meeting,” he said.
Russian negotiator Dmitriev told CNN that the talks on Tuesday were “positive” and lasted over four hours. He mentioned to Reuters that it’s too early to discuss compromise solutions, but both sides have begun listening to each other, showing mutual respect, and treating each other as equals.
Dmitriev also stated that U.S. and Russian officials held separate discussions on future economic cooperation, including global energy prices.
U.S. National Security Advisor and American negotiator Waltz stated that President Trump decided to swiftly negotiate potential peace agreements for Ukraine and will also address territorial and security issues.
After meeting with Russian officials in Riyadh, Waltz said Trump cannot accept endless wars in Europe. He mentioned that the U.S. is consulting with American allies on the Ukraine issue, with no one being excluded. He emphasized that the U.S. is pleased to see Europe discussing making stronger contributions to Ukraine’s security.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that all parties involved in the Ukraine conflict must accept a resolution to end the conflict.
He expressed that the meeting in Riyadh with Russian officials was the first step in a long and challenging journey, with the aim of fairly and enduringly ending the war in Ukraine.
Rubio also downplayed concerns about the EU being excluded from the Ukraine peace talks, stating that the EU will need to be involved at some point, and no one is being excluded.
Regarding Tuesday’s meeting, Russian negotiator Dmitriev said: “The road ahead is long. There are still many differences. We need to manage expectations.”