US Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban, adviser Russian President Yuri Ushakov, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend a meeting together at Riyyah’s Diriyah Palace on 18 February 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | AFP | Getty Images
Russian and American officials are holding their first official meeting in the years of Tuesday, meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss the foundations for talks on how to end the war in Ukraine.
The meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who began in the last hour, marks the first official landing meeting between senior US and Russian diplomats since January 2022, when the then state sector Antony Blinken and Lavrov met in Geneva just weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are attending the meeting while Lavrov is accompanied by Kremlin Assistant Yury Ushakov, according to Russian state media, with no plans for a private meeting between Rubio and Lavrov.
The Russian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Front), arrives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to meet with their American counterparts, on February 17, 2025. The meeting will focus on Russia’s bilateral connections Putin -Trump.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
The high profile meeting comes after US President Donald Trump announced last week that he and Russian President Putin had agreed to start negotiations to end the three-year war in Ukraine.
Both sides appear to be playing the possible result of this first meeting. State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Monday that the Riyadh meeting was created to “determine if the Russians are probably serious, and if they are on the same page”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the meeting was to discuss the restoration of bilateral relations and “preparations for possible peace talks in Ukraine”, as well as a future meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to comments translated by NBC News.
US Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio (L) meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (R) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17, 2025.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian sovereign fund, is also part of the Russian delegation in Riyadh with his presence signaling that Moscow tends to emphasize the economic benefits of restoring links.
Speaking to Russian media on Tuesday, Dmitriev estimates that “American businesses lost about $ 300 billion from Russia’s departure. So there are a large number of economics in many countries you know what is happening now, and we believe how One way forward is through solutions, “he said, according to a report by the Interfax news agency.
Ukraine and Europe were freezing out
Officials from Ukraine will not be present at the Riyadh talks, Kyiv said, and European allies also remain frozen from discussions right now.
Kyiv’s leadership has warned that she will not agree with any peace agreement that goes against her interests, while European leaders warned at the Munich Security Conference last weekend that any agreement made without her involvement would not work.
European leaders held an urgent meeting in Paris on Monday, where they agreed on the need to significantly increase defense costs, but could not agree if they would send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as part of a post -war plan.
The United Kingdom has said it is ready to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, but said the US will have to provide a “background” to support the placement, while Denmark and France signaled a willingness to consider sending troops to place.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a meeting on security issues in Europe at the Elysée palace on February 17, 2025, in Paris.
Tom Nicholson | Getty Images
Other nations, including some of Ukraine’s largest supporters, Poland and Germany, are careful, however. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had opened critical of the idea, calling it “completely premature” and “very inadequate” while leaders of Italy, Spain and Norway seemed to be more cynical for the idea.
Anxious to stay close to President Trump, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet the President next week, while French President Emmanuel Macron said he would talk about Trump and Zelenskyy after the emergency summit.
“We seek strong and enduring peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and reliable security guarantees for Ukrainians. Otherwise, there is a risk For this ceasefire to end as the Minsk Agreements.