Senior officials from the United States and Russia, including the top figures in their respective foreign ministries, are set to hold talks aimed at improving bilateral relations and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. This meeting is considered the most significant between the two sides since Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor nearly three years ago.
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02-24, 2025The talks, scheduled for Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, mark another crucial step in the Trump administration's reversal of the U.S. policy of isolating Russia. The meeting aims to pave the way for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, potentially leading to further discussions.
The United States' recent proactive diplomacy on the Ukraine war has prompted Kyiv and its main allies to scramble for a seat at the negotiating table, fearing that Washington and Moscow might reach an agreement detrimental to their interests. France convened an emergency meeting of EU nations and the UK on Monday to determine how to respond, emphasizing the need for a unified approach.
According to Russian state television, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin's foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, departed for the Saudi capital on Monday. U.S. State Department spokesperson Tami Bruce stated that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with the Russian delegation, but Ukraine will not be involved, raising concerns about representation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks would primarily focus on "various aspects of restoring U.S.-Russia relations, as well as preparing for possible negotiations on Ukraine and a meeting between the two presidents." Bruce indicated that the meeting is intended to ascertain Russia's sincerity in seeking peace and whether detailed negotiations can commence, exploring potential pathways to resolution.
“I think, obviously, the goal for everyone is to determine whether or not progress can be made on this,” Bruce told reporters traveling with Rubio to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bruce also stated that even though Ukraine will not participate in Tuesday's talks, genuine peace negotiations can only occur with Ukraine's involvement. Under Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, Kyiv's participation in any peace talks has been a cornerstone of U.S. policy, emphasizing the importance of Ukrainian agency.
Witkoff stated on Fox News Channel’s "Sunday Morning Futures" that he and Waltz would be “meeting at the president’s direction” and hoped to make “some real good progress on the Russia-Ukraine issue.” Witkoff did not directly respond to questions about whether Ukraine would have to give up a “significant chunk” of territory to reach any negotiated settlement. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week that it was unrealistic for Ukraine to join NATO and suggested that Kyiv should abandon hopes of recovering all Russian-occupied territory – two key items on Putin’s wish list, indicating potential compromises.
The talks mark a significant expansion of U.S.-Russia engagement, in a war that has lasted nearly three years and sent relations between the two countries to their lowest point in decades. About two years ago, Lavrov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a brief conversation on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in India. That 10-minute conversation did little to ease tensions; in fact, tensions escalated in the months that followed. In the fall of 2022, the heads of U.S. and Russian intelligence agencies met in Turkey amid U.S. concerns that Moscow might resort to nuclear weapons in the face of battlefield losses, highlighting the severity of the situation.
Tuesday’s talks follow a phone conversation between Trump and Putin in which the U.S. president said they “agreed to have our teams begin negotiations immediately.” The call upended years of U.S. policy and ended the isolation of Moscow for its February 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. After the call, Trump phoned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to inform him about their conversation, emphasizing the need for transparency.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that Zelenskyy “will be involved” but did not elaborate. The Ukrainian president said on Monday that his country had not been invited to the upcoming talks and that he would not accept the outcome of the talks if Kyiv was not involved. Zelenskyy stated in a phone call with journalists from the United Arab Emirates that U.S.-Russia talks would “produce no result” without the participation of any Ukrainian officials, underscoring the importance of Ukrainian representation.
Zelenskyy met with leaders of the United Arab Emirates on Monday, his first visit to the UAE since the start of the war. Zelenskyy’s office said in a message posted online: “Our top priority is bringing more of our people home from captivity. We will also focus on investment and economic partnerships, as well as large-scale humanitarian programs,” highlighting key areas of cooperation.
EU officials have been pushing for the EU – which, along with the U.S., has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv – to have a say in any Ukraine peace negotiations, and Zelenskyy and his officials have also insisted on European attendance. Lavrov dismissed the possible role of Europe when asked about it on Monday, saying, “I don’t know what they can do at the negotiating table,” questioning their potential contribution.
Asked about his expectations for the Riyadh talks, he said that Trump and Putin in their call “agreed to cast aside that absolutely abnormal period in our two countries’ relations when contacts had practically stopped except on some technical and humanitarian issues.” Lavrov said, “The presidents agreed that it was necessary to restore dialogue on all problems that can be resolved with the participation of Russia and the United States. They mentioned the Ukrainian issue, as well as the situation in the Middle East and some other regions in the world that are not very calm at the moment,” indicating a broad agenda.
Lavrov flatly ruled out the possibility of Moscow giving up any territorial gains as part of a potential solution, saying that it was “not even being considered.” Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the four regions that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022 but has never fully occupied, and abandon its efforts to join NATO, as part of any future peace agreement – demands that Kyiv has rejected, emphasizing the need for territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Zelenskyy also confirmed that Trump’s special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, retired General Keith Kellogg, would arrive in Kyiv on February 20 for “extensive conversations about security guarantees.” Zelenskyy said he wanted to take Kellogg to the front lines and hoped that the American would take what he learned from his trip to Ukraine back to the White House, highlighting the importance of firsthand experience.
“I think that after he returns to the United States, we will understand when I will meet with President Trump,” he said. Zelenskyy said that the possibility of opening up the country’s mineral resources to the United States, as suggested by Trump, would require a written agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, ensuring protection against future aggression. Ukraine and some European countries insist that without security guarantees, Russia could invade the country again, even if a deal is reached, emphasizing the need for long-term security.
Zelenskyy said those guarantees could include NATO membership (which Hegseth has poured cold water on), weapons, and economic support. Ukraine has also expressed hope of joining the European Union, but that is complicated and could take years, highlighting the challenges and complexities of integration.
