Russia won't accept Nato troops in Ukraine, Lavrov says after talks with US

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated, following high-level talks between Saudi Arabia and the United States, that Russia would not accept NATO countries sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine under the guise of any peace agreement. He emphasized that any armed forces appearing under other banners would not change the situation and are completely unacceptable.

Both Russia and the United States have indicated that they have agreed to designate teams to begin negotiations to end the war. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated after the meeting: "Today is only the first step in a long and difficult journey, but it is an important one." This initial step signals a willingness to engage in dialogue and explore potential pathways to de-escalation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed that he was "surprised" that Ukraine was not invited to attend the talks. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he was "disappointed" by Ukraine's reaction. In an interview with the BBC at Mar-a-Lago, when asked what message he had for Ukrainians who might feel betrayed, Trump responded that he heard Ukrainians were unhappy about not having a seat, but they had a seat for three years and longer, and the conflict could have been easily resolved; they should not have started the war and could have reached an agreement through negotiations.

Following the meeting between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, Trump stated that he was "more confident" and said "they (Russia) are very good, Russia wants to do something, they want to stop the savage carnage." He added, "I think I have the ability to end this war." When asked about the possibility of European countries sending troops to Ukraine, he stated, "If they want to do that, that's fine, I fully support it."

The meeting in Riyadh was the first known face-to-face meeting between U.S. and Russian delegations since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. representatives attending the talks included U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, while the Russian representatives included Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov and Russian Sovereign Wealth Fund Head Kirill Dmitriev. After the meeting, Lavrov stated that the United States and Russia would send ambassadors to each other's countries as soon as possible and create conditions to "fully restore cooperation." He also stated, "This was a very useful dialogue. We listened to each other, and we heard each other." He reiterated Russia's previous position that any expansion of the NATO defense alliance—and Ukraine's accession to NATO—would constitute a "direct threat" to Russia.

In Paris, European leaders urgently convened a meeting on Monday to discuss their response to the apparent reconciliation between the U.S. and Russia under President Trump, but failed to reach a unified position. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that any agreement on Ukraine would need "America's backing" to prevent Russia from attacking its neighbor again, and indicated that he would consider deploying British troops to Ukraine. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that discussing sending troops to Ukraine at this time was "completely premature." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also stated that he did not intend to send troops, while the only European leader to attend Trump's inauguration—Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni—expressed skepticism. She stated at the meeting in Paris that deploying European troops would be the "most complex and ineffective way" to ensure peace in Ukraine.

In Riyadh, Rubio stated that the EU "sooner or later has to be involved because they have sanctions as well." Regarding the issue of Ukraine's absence from the meeting, he insisted that "no one is being marginalized." He added, "Everyone involved in the conflict has to be happy with it, has to be acceptable." Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy responded to the meeting at a press conference in Turkey, appearing visibly tired and frustrated. Zelenskyy stated, "We want everything to be fair, so that no one makes any decisions behind our backs. You cannot decide how to end the war in Ukraine without Ukraine."

Zelenskyy will be unnerved by all the smiles on the faces of the US and Russian sides in Riyadh, but he will know that whatever deal they strike without his knowledge, there is little he can do about it. The Ukrainian President will also know that without the help of the United States, his country's chances of resisting – let alone defeating – the Russian army are very slim.