US-Russia Meeting in Riyadh Begins Long Talks to End Ukraine War

RIYADH, TUESDAY — Diplomats and senior officials from the US and Russia will meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday (18/2/2025), to discuss the restoration of the fractured relations between the two countries and to initiate early efforts to end the Ukraine-Russia war. Both Washington and Moscow believe that the negotiation process will be lengthy.

Because it is early days, both sides are skeptical that the summit will produce a major breakthrough.

Nevertheless, the discussion has already sparked concerns in Ukraine and Europe. Several European leaders, initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron, suddenly held an emergency meeting in Paris. In this meeting, they emphasized that they must have a voice in the US-Russia negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Discussions in Saudi Arabia indicate efforts to restore relations between the White House and the Kremlin, which have been strained since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia war in February 2022.

In a meeting in Riyadh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and senior aide to Putin, Yuri Ushakov, will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and US Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

The meeting could also be a precursor to a face-to-face meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ahead of the meeting on Tuesday (18/2/2025), Russia stated that Putin and Trump want to leave behind the abnormal US-Russia relationship. Russia also does not see a place for Europe at the negotiating table.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the talks were primarily aimed at restoring the complicated Russia-America relations. He also mentioned the possibility of negotiations regarding the resolution of Ukraine and organizing a meeting between the US and Russian presidents.

Moscow has clearly stated that it wants to hold bilateral talks with the US on a number of security issues, not just the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine.

The meeting between US and Russian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, could serve as an initial preparation for a direct meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow's long-standing agenda has included reducing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) presence in Europe. Before invading Ukraine in February 2022, Putin demanded that NATO withdraw its troops, equipment and bases from several areas that were under Moscow's influence during the Cold War.

So far, there is no clear prospect that the talks will lead to a deal to stop the fighting in Ukraine.

"I don't think people see it as anything that involves details or moving forward in some kind of negotiation," said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.

Ushakov said the talks would focus on the beginning of negotiations, namely how to start negotiations on Ukraine.

One of Putin's demands made last year was for Kyiv to withdraw troops from large areas of conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Kyiv was not invited to the Riyadh meeting. He instead visited the United Arab Emirates and Türkiye while the Riyadh talks were taking place.

Zelensky was quoted as saying by Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform that Kyiv knew nothing about the talks in Riyadh. He reiterated that Kyiv could not recognize any things or agreements about Ukraine that were made without his involvement.

On social media, Zelenskyy said any peace deal must include strong and reliable security guarantees, which have been demanded by France and Britain but not supported by all European powers.

Zelenskyy arrived in Turkey on Tuesday Indonesian time to discuss the conflict with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then on to Saudi Arabia a day later. He did not plan to hold talks with U.S. or Russian delegates.

Last week, Zelenskyy said he was ready to meet Putin, but said the meeting would only take place after Kyiv and its allies reached a common position on ending the war.

On the battlefield, Moscow has the upper hand. Russian forces have pushed Ukraine back across a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. On Monday, the Russian military said its forces had captured a small settlement in northeastern Ukraine.

They also regained control of a village in the western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise counter-offensive in August 2024.

On the other hand, Kyiv continues to be under pressure. In addition to being pushed back on the battlefield, Ukraine also faces the possibility of losing US military aid, which has been its main supporter.

Ukraine is forced to rely on Europe, which, according to Zelenskyy, is also currently in a weak position.

“Although readiness has improved in recent years, in terms of troop strength, number of combat troops, fleets, air forces, drones, I think, frankly, Europe is weak at the moment,” he said in an interview broadcast on Monday.

According to Zelenskyy, the US currently seems to be trying to please Moscow in the Ukraine talks. "The US is now saying things that are very beneficial to Putin, because they want to please him," he said.

However, Zelenskyy remained firm in rejecting the idea of giving up Ukrainian territory that Russia had seized. “We will take it all back,” he said.

The Turkish presidential office reported that the Ukrainian leader visited Turkey for talks with Erdogan in Ankara. “The two will discuss steps to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries,” Erdogan’s chief of press staff, Fahrettin Altun, wrote in X.

The visit was Zelenskyy's third to Türkiye since Russian forces invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago. He last visited in March 2024.

As a NATO member, Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with its warring Black Sea neighbors. Erdogan has positioned himself as a go-between and mediator in seeking peace between Ukraine and Russia.

Ankara has provided drones to Ukraine, but has also refrained from enforcing Western-led sanctions on Russia.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy discussed economic cooperation with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi.

During the meeting, as reported by the UAE news agency, WAM, Sheikh Mohammed stressed the need to build effective partnerships with countries around the world. He also spoke about the importance of reaching peaceful solutions to crises around the world.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy thanked the UAE for its contribution to the prisoner exchange between Kyiv and Moscow. The two countries also signed an economic partnership agreement.

"Our top priority is to bring more of our citizens home from detention. We will also focus on economic investment and partnerships, as well as large-scale humanitarian programs," Zelenskyy said.

The UAE has been a key mediator between Russia and Ukraine in helping with prisoner swaps and the repatriation of Ukrainian children from Russia. (AFP/AP/Reuters)