Russia and the United States agreed Tuesday to begin working towards ending the war in Ukraine and improving diplomatic and economic ties, according to top diplomats from both countries, following talks that marked an extraordinary shift in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
Following the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told The Associated Press that the two sides had broadly agreed to pursue three goals: restoring staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, forming a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and exploring closer relations and economic cooperation.
He emphasised, however, that the talks, which were attended by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, as well as other senior Russian and American officials, were only the start of a conversation, and that more work remains to be done.
Lavrov echoed Rubio’s statement, telling reporters that “the conversation was very useful.”
“We not only listened, but also heard each other,” he claimed.
Rubio was joined at the table by Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, and special Mideast envoy, Steven Witkoff, as well as Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, the foreign affairs adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
No Ukrainian officials attended the meeting, which occurred as the beleaguered country is gradually but steadily losing ground to more numerous Russian troops in a grinding war that began nearly three years ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that his country would not accept any outcome from the talks because Kyiv did not participate, and he postponed his own trip to the kingdom, which was scheduled for Wednesday.
European allies have also expressed concerns about being sidelined.
Improving Russian-US relations
Ties between Russia and the United States have fallen to their lowest point in decades in recent years, a schism that has been widening since Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and only worsened after Moscow’s full-fledged invasion.
The United States, along with European countries, imposed a slew of sanctions on Russia in an attempt to harm its economy. And embassies in Washington and Moscow have been hard hit by large-scale diplomatic expulsions and other restrictions.
Rubio indicated on Tuesday that a cease-fire in Ukraine might “unlock the door” with “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.”
His remarks underscored the remarkable U.S. reversal on Russia, following years in which Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, led international efforts to isolate Moscow.
Tuesday’s meeting was intended to pave the way for a summit between Trump and Putin. After the talks, Ushakov and Waltz stated that no date for the summit has been set yet. Ushakov told Russian television that a meeting was “unlikely” to take place next week, whereas Waltz said he believed it could be arranged in the coming weeks.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lavrov reiterated Rubio’s three goals and stated that Washington and Moscow had agreed to appoint representatives to conduct “regular consultations” on Ukraine.
“I have reason to believe that the Americans have begun to better understand our position,” the Russian foreign minister stated.
Witkoff stated that the meeting was “positive, upbeat, and constructive.” Everyone was there to get the right result.”
The meeting marked the most extensive contact between the two countries since Moscow invaded on February 24, 2022. Lavrov and then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken exchanged brief words on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in India nearly two years ago, but tensions remained high.
Concerns from allies they are being sidelined
The recent U.S. diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Ukraine and key allies scrambling to secure a seat at the table, raising concerns that Washington and Moscow will press ahead with a deal that is unfavourable to them.
Kyiv’s absence from Tuesday’s talks irritated many Ukrainians, and France convened an emergency meeting of European Union countries and the United Kingdom on Monday to discuss the war. Kyiv’s participation in such talks was a cornerstone of US policy under Biden.
According to Tammy Bruce, a spokeswoman for the US State Department, the talks are intended to determine how serious the Russians are about achieving peace and whether detailed negotiations can begin.
Rubio stated on Tuesday that there would be “engagement and consultation with Ukraine, our partners in Europe, and others.” However, the Russian side will eventually be indispensable to this effort.”
Rubio also stated that ending the conflict would require concessions from all sides, and that Washington “is not going to predetermine” what those concessions would be.
Waltz said “the practical reality is that there is going to be some discussion of territory, and there’s going to be a discussion of security guarantees.”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said he spoke by phone to Trump and Zelenskyy following Monday’s European meeting.
“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Macron wrote on social media platform X. “To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” he said and vowed to “work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians.”
Saudi Arabia’s role
The meeting at the Diriyah Palace in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, also highlighted de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to become a major diplomatic player, restoring his reputation after the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
According to Saudi state media, the talks are being conducted at the prince’s direction. The prince, like the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, has maintained close relations with Russia throughout the war in Ukraine, both through the OPEC+ oil cartel and diplomatically.
Saudi Arabia also assisted with prisoner negotiations and hosted Zelenskyy for an Arab League summit in 2023.
However, Zelenskyy postponed his own trip to Saudi Arabia, which was scheduled for this week, implying that he wanted to avoid having his visit linked to the talks because Ukrainian officials had not been invited. The visit was rescheduled for March 10.
War continues
Meanwhile, Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with drones, according to Kyiv’s military. The Ukrainian air force said Russian troops launched a barrage of 176 drones at Ukraine overnight, most of which were destroyed or disabled by jamming.
One Russian drone struck a residential building in Dolynska in the Kirovohrad region, wounding a mother and her two children and prompting an evacuation of 38 apartments, the regional administration reported. Four more residential buildings were damaged by drone debris in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine, according to local officials.
