Top U.S. and Russian officials held high-level talks in Riyadh on Tuesday, marking the most significant discussions yet between the two former Cold War adversaries on resolving the war in Ukraine.
They were expected to discuss ways to end the three-year-old conflict in Ukraine and restore American-Russian relations. Their talks could pave the way for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Kyiv Excluded In Ukraine Talks
Ukraine, which is not attending, says no peace deal can be made on its behalf. “We, as a sovereign country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week.
European governments, alarmed at the possibility that Russia and the United States could sideline them from negotiations that will determine the future security of the continent, have also demanded a role in peace talks.
Media were allowed to film the two delegations before the start of the talks.
Top US, Russian Officials Present
Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sat opposite the U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff at a polished wooden table with three large white floral arrangements.
The officials ignored shouted questions from reporters asking whether the U.S. was sidelining the Ukrainians and what concessions Washington was demanding of Moscow.
Russia’s Agenda
Russia said the talks would focus on ending the war and restoring “the whole complex” of Russia-U.S. ties, which the Kremlin described as “below zero” under the previous administration of Joe Biden.
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, told reporters in Riyadh: “We really see that President Trump and his team is a team of problem solvers, people who have already addressed a number of big challenges very swiftly, very efficiently and very successfully.”
Dmitriev, a U.S.-educated former Goldman Sachs banker, played a role in early contacts with Moscow during Trump’s first term as president from 2016-2020.
Ushakov said on Monday that Dmitriev might join the delegation to discuss economic questions.
“It’s very important to understand that U.S. businesses lost around $300 billion from leaving Russia. So there is huge economic toll on many countries from, you know, what’s happening right now,” Dmitriev said.
U.S.’s New Approach
European leaders had gathered in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit to agree on a unified strategy, after being blindsided by Trump‘s push for immediate talks on Ukraine after a phone call with Putin last week.
The European leaders said they would invest more in defence and take the lead in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
“Everyone feels the great sense of urgency,” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said. “At this crucial time for the security of Europe, we must continue to stand behind Ukraine.”
“Europe will have to make a contribution towards safeguarding any agreement, and cooperation with the Americans is essential.”
The meeting in Riyadh reflects a significant departure from Washington’s position under Biden, who eschewed public contacts, concluding that Russia was not serious about ending the war.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, having seized Crimea and fomented an insurgency in the east in 2014, and controls about a fifth of the country.
U.S. officials cast Tuesday’s talks as an initial contact to determine whether Moscow is serious about ending the war, after Putin and Trump spoke last Wednesday.
“This is a follow-up on that initial conversation between Putin and President Trump about perhaps if that first step is even possible, what the interests are if this can be managed,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters in Riyadh.
Kremlin Outlines Broad Discussions
The Kremlin, however, suggested the discussions would cover “the entire complex of Russian-American relations”, as well as preparing for talks on a settlement for Ukraine and a meeting between the two presidents.
Russia said Lavrov and Rubio in a call on Saturday discussed removing barriers to trade and investment.
(With inputs from Reuters)
