 "U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Monday Feb. 17, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)")
Top Russian and American officials, including foreign ministers, are meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to hold talks on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and boosting bilateral ties, officials from both sides said. Meanwhile, Kyiv has said that Ukraine has not been invited to the talks which aim to end the conflict.
The meeting, which comes three years after Ukraine’s invasion, is set to be a crucial one due to the involvement of the US in securing peace.
The US Department of State and the Kremlin said on Monday that senior US and Russian officials will hold talks in Riyadh on Tuesday in an effort to lay the groundwork for peace negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, are set to travel to Riyadh.
Rubio, NSA waltz, Middle East envoy Witkoff are part of high level deligation
The Russian delegation is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Shift from stance of Isolating Moscow
The talks symbolise a shift in Washington’s stance on its policy of isolating Russia after the Kremlin launched a campaign against Kyiv.
The discussion is also set to pave the way for a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Putin.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsKyiv not invited in peace talks
Meanwhile, the BBC, citing sources, reported that Kyiv has not been invited to the talks between the US and Russia aimed at ending the war.
Russian state TV quoted Ushakov as saying the talks would be “purely bilateral” and would not include Ukrainian officials. It also stated that the delegation is made up of “serious people” and that Russia “came with a serious approach too.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks will be primarily focused on “restoring the entire range of US-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement and organising a meeting between the two presidents.”