US and Russia begin peace talks without Ukraine
The U.S. and Russia have begun talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at improving diplomatic ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat down with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, signaling a potential thaw in U.S.-Russia relations after years of tension following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and upending years of American foreign policy that has alarmed NATO allies.
Rubio was joined by U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz and President Donald Trump‘s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov was also there with Lavrov. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and the country’s national security adviser Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban also joined but were expected to leave early in the talks.
Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Monday he would be in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, but that his trip was unrelated to the U.S.-Russia meeting.
“Ukraine knew nothing about this. And Ukraine regards any negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine as having no results,” Zelensky said.
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