U.S. and Russian officials meet in Saudi Arabia on Ukraine war
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A meeting between Russia and the U.S., aimed at mending relations between the two nations and addressing the war in Ukraine, is taking place on Feb. 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Senior U.S. and Russian officials met on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia for more than four hours to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and preparing for a Trump-Putin summit.
Why it matters: The meeting is another significant step in improving U.S.-Russia relations since last week's phone call between President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
- The meeting created a lot of anxiety and frustration in the Ukrainian government, which is concerned about a U.S.-Russian deal behind Kyiv's back.
Driving the news: Saudi state television published a short video from the beginning of the meeting on Tuesday.
- The U.S. delegation was headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and includes White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
- The Russian side was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin's top foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.
- The Saudi mediators included Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan and national security adviser Musaad al-Aiban.
What they're saying: "The talks went well," Ushakov told Russian media on Tuesday.
- He said the parties discussed the conditions for a Trump-Putin summit but stressed there is no date set.
- Ushakov added that the parties agreed to start negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.
Behind the scenes: Waltz said in a briefing with reporters that during the meeting the U.S. side discussed its core principles for any future deal between Russia and Ukraine.
- "This should be a permanent end to the war and not a temporary one as it was in the past," he said.
- Waltz added that any future negotiations will have to include talks on territory and security guarantees.
- Witkoff called the talks "very solid."
- "The goal is to get a fair deal all parties can accept…I came out thinking the Russians are serious," Rubio said in the briefing.
The big picture: Lavrov told reporters that deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine "even under other flags" is unacceptable for Russia, which sees NATO expansion as a direct threat.
The other side: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference with Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Tuesday that he decided to postpone his visit to Saudi Arabia planned for Wednesday after the U.S.-Russian summit in Riyadh.
- Zelensky said he didn't want to create a "false impression of negotiations" by visiting Saudi Arabia tomorrow.
- "We want just peace. Not peace that is negotiated behind the scenes without our involvement. We were not invited to the meeting between the U.S. and Russia in Saudi Arabia. It was a surprise for us and we learned about it from the media," he said.
- Zelensky said he notified the Saudi government about his decision to postpone the visit and added he will visit Saudi Arabia on March 10.
What's next: Waltz said the U.S. will consult with Ukraine and its European allies on the way forward. He stressed Trump wants to move forward with the diplomatic efforts very quickly.
- Waltz said no date has been set yet for a meeting between Trump and Putin.
- Rubio said a next step will be talks with Russia on "normalizing" the status of the U.S. and Russian diplomatic missions in both countries.
What we're watching: The Ukrainian president will meet later this week in Kyiv with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg, who will also visit the front lines of the war with Russia.
- Zelensky said on Monday that he will have clarity about a possible meeting with Trump at the White House after he meets with Kellogg.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information throughout.
