US-Russia ties and Ukraine war will be on the table as top diplomats from Moscow and Washington meet in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, while a concerned Europe remains in the shadows. Though a tentative start to ending the Russia-Ukraine war, about to near a three-year mark, both sides said the first high-level meet since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine is unlikely to result in concrete outcomes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, will also discuss the war in Ukraine.
Russia-US Talks On Ukraine In Saudi Arabia
Why In News
- US-Russia ties and Ukraine war will be on the table as top diplomats from Moscow and Washington meet in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, while a concerned Europe remains in the shadows.
Russia-Ukraine Question With No Kyiv On The Table
- Though a tentative start to ending the Russia-Ukraine war, about to near a three-year mark, both sides said the first high-level meet since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine is unlikely to result in concrete outcomes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, will also discuss the war in Ukraine.
- The talks come after US President Donald Trump held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, while the American defence chief rule out Ukraine joining NATO. If the talks are successful, Trump and Putin are expected to meet soon.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the talks would be “primarily devoted to restoring the whole complex of Russian-American relations”, alongside discussions on “possible negotiations on a Ukrainian resolution, and organising a meeting between the two presidents”.
- Kyiv was not invited to the talks, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accuse the US of wanting “to please” Putin by “now saying things that are very favourable” to him. Zelensky said “we will not sign just anything in order to be applauded” and stressed that “the fate of our state for generations to come” was at stake. Even so, he warned that “there will definitely not be a Ukrainian victory without US support”.
Direct Meeting Between Trump – Putin May Happen Soon
- It is believed that if the Riyadh meeting is positive, then a direct meeting with US President Donald Trump may take place in the coming days.
- On Monday evening, Russia demonstrated goodwill towards the United States by releasing American citizen Caleb Byers, who had been detained on drug smuggling charges since February 7.
- During his visit, US Secretary of State Rubio is expected to address the situation in Gaza with officials from Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, former President Trump has announced his intention to take control of Gaza, which has suffered extensive damage due to the conflict, and to oversee its reconstruction. In this context, Trump has suggested that the Palestinian residents of Gaza consider relocating to Egypt and Jordan, a proposal that has currently been dismissed by the Arab nations.
Zelenskyy’s Remarks On US-Russia Talks
- Speaking to the media on a conference call from the United Arab Emirates on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country will take part in the talks this week, adding that they would “yield no results,” given the absence of any Ukrainian officials.
- The talks follow last week’s telephone call between Trump and Putin in which Trump said they “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.” The call upended years of US policy, ending the isolation of Moscow over its February 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. After the call with Putin, Trump phoned Zelenskyy to inform him about their conversation.
Trump’s Remarks On Zelenkyy’s Participation
- Trump on Sunday told reporters that Zelenskyy “will be involved,” but did not elaborate. Zelenskyy said he would travel to Turkey on Monday and to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, but that his trip to the Arab nation was unrelated to planned US-Russia talks there on Tuesday.
- Andriy Yermak, a top Zelenskyy adviser, said earlier Sunday there was no possibility of Ukrainian and Russian representatives meeting directly in the immediate future. In a Telegram post, Yermak said the Ukrainians weren’t planning to do so “until we develop a plan” to end the war and bring about a “just peace.”
Europe Worries
- Sceptic about the US rush to strike a peace deal with Russia, European leaders met for an informal summit on Monday, where they reiterated their continuing support for Ukraine and vowed to continue their joint support for Kyiv in the face of Moscow’s invasion.
- However, they failed to provide any new security guarantees that could make a difference amid US President Donald Trump’s push to launch negotiations with Russia.
- Mr Trump’s approach to ending the war in Ukraine has left its European allies and officials in Kyiv worried they are being largely sidelined by the new US administration as Washington and Moscow plan direct negotiations. Their fears were heightened by a rare meeting expected on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia between the top diplomats from Russia and the United States.
- Mr Trump is sending Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian counterparts, according to a report by the Associated Press. European Worries
- Europe has majorly relied on a security umbrella provided by the United States since World War II. But with Mr Trump in the White House, who does not prioritise relations either with European partners or their defence, Europe needs to come up with a united front on security spending and Ukraine’s future.
- Depending on the parameters of the Washington-Moscow talks over Ukraine, and how emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin feels by them, there is also a European fear this could end up changing their continent’s security architecture.
- Mr Putin has historically resented the spread of NATO eastwards. Russian neighbours – the tiny, former Soviet Baltic States and also Poland – now feel particularly exposed amid the current scenario.
- French newspaper Le Monde said the rupture between Europe and the United States was “historic”, but added that Europe had to show its capacity to ensure its own defence.
- “European blindness came to an abrupt end in Munich. From now on, the security of the continent depends essentially on the Europeans themselves, and on their ability to maintain their unity,” it added.
