RIYADH: Russia and the US have agreed to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.
Rubio said that the two sides agreed broadly to pursue three goals: to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation.
He stressed, however, that the talks — which were hosted by Saudi Arabia and also attended by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov — marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done down the road.
No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which came as the beleaguered country is slowly but steadily losing ground against more numerous Russian troops in a grinding war that began nearly three years ago.
Improving Russian-US relations
Ties between Russia and the US have fallen to their lowest level in decades during the war. Both embassies have been hit hard by expulsions of large numbers of diplomats over the course of several years, and the US, along with European nations, imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia. The allies have repeatedly expanded the measures to damage Moscow’s economy.
“Should this conflict come to an acceptable end, the incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians geopolitically on issues of common interest and frankly, economically on issues that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term,” Rubio said.
His comments were further evidence of the remarkable US reversal on Russia after years in which Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, led international efforts to isolate Moscow.
Tuesday’s meeting was meant to pave the way for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the talks wrapped, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told Russia’s Channel One that no date has been set yet for that summit but that it was “unlikely” to take place next week.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lavrov said that in his view, “the conversation was very useful.” He mentioned the same three goals as Rubio and said that Washington and Moscow agreed to appoint representatives to carry out “regular consultations” on Ukraine.
“We not only listened, but also heard each other,” Lavrov. “And I have reason to believe that the American side has started to better understand our position, which we have once again outlined in detail, using specific examples, based on President Putin’s repeated speeches.”
The meeting marked the most extensive contact between the two countries since Moscow’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. Lavrov and then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked briefly on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in India nearly two years ago, but tensions remained high.
Saudi Arabia hosted the talks on Ukraine between Russia and the US as part of its efforts to enhance global peace and security, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry announced earlier on Tuesday.
A statement released by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that under the directive of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: “Saudi Arabia hosts today, Tuesday, in the city of Riyadh, talks between the Russian Federation and the United States of America, as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to enhance security and peace in the world.”
The meeting was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the presence of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Saudi Minister of State and National Security advisor Musaed Al-Aiban.
The talks between US and Russian officials in Riyadh were the most significant to date between the two former Cold War foes on ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The conversation could pave the way for a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
But the talks in the Saudi capital underscored the rapid pace of US efforts to halt the conflict, less than a month after Trump took office and six days after he spoke by phone to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian foreign ministry officials said NATO must abandon plans for Ukraine to join the alliance. (X.com/RFM)
Lavrov said Russia told the United States it opposed any NATO member sending troops to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire, whether under a national flag or that of the European Union.
“This is unacceptable to us, of course,” Lavrov added.
The two sides also agreed to ensure the “prompt appointment” of ambassadors to each other’s countries, the foreign minister said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin relieved his former ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, last year but did not name a replacement.
His US counterpart Donald Trump is yet to appoint his ambassador for Moscow.
Lavrov also said the United States expressed an interest in lifting sanctions on Moscow.
“There was strong interest in removing artificial barriers to the development of mutually beneficial economic cooperation,” he said.
The two sides agreed on a process for starting negotiations on ending the fighting in Ukraine, Lavrov added.
“The United States side will announce who will represent Washington, and as soon as we know the name and position of the appropriate representative, we will, as President Putin told President Trump, immediately designate our participant in this process.”
While the US and Russians were meeting in Saudi Arabia, Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara.
Zelensky flew into the Turkish capital from the United Arab Emirates late on Monday, saying on Telegram he would discuss prisoner exchanges and other issues with Erdogan.
The talks at Erdogan’s presidential palace, which began around 11:15 GMT, came several hours after the meeting in Saudi Arabia.
Zelensky arrived in Turkiye late on Monday. (AFP)
Zelensky last visited Turkiye in March 2024.
Top Erdogan aide Fahrettin Altun on Monday said the pair would discuss how to “further strengthen cooperation” between their two nations.
NATO member Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with its warring Black Sea neighbours, with Erdogan pitching himself as a key go-between and possible peacemaker between the two.
Ankara has provided drones for Ukraine but shied away from Western-led sanctions on Moscow.
Alongside Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Turkiye has played a role in brokering several prisoner swap deals between Russia and Ukraine which have seen hundreds of prisoners returning home despite the ongoing conflict.
(With agencies)
