On Tuesday (February 18), senior officials from the United States and Russia met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss ending the ongoing war in Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov led the delegations. Notably, Ukraine was not invited to participate in these talks, raising concerns among European allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who vowed not to recognize any agreements made without Kyiv's involvement.
The discussions, which lasted over four hours, aimed to improve U.S.-Russia relations and explore pathways to peace in Ukraine. Both sides agreed to appoint high-level teams to work on a sustainable resolution to the conflict. However, Lavrov made it clear that Russia would not consider returning annexed territories to Ukraine.
The meeting marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump, who has expressed a desire to end the war by addressing key Russian demands, such as Ukraine's NATO ambitions. The talks also focused on restoring diplomatic staffing levels and exploring economic cooperation between the two nations.
Despite the absence of Ukraine and European allies, U.S. officials emphasized that any resolution would require concessions from all parties involved.