The U.S. and Russia said they hope to end the war in Ukraine, and American and Russian officials said they share a lot in common after a diplomatic meeting in the Middle East on Tuesday.
The face-to-face talks between high-level officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Michael Waltz and members of the Russian foreign ministry, mark the first time Russia engaged in open dialogue with the U.S. after being ousted from much of the international community financially and diplomatically since invading Ukraine in February 2022.
But despite the official channels indicating hope for a peace deal, officials from Ukraine — notably not invited to the weekend of meetings — says negotiations cannot take place without Kyiv’s involvement.
During the talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which served as the host and mediator, the U.S. and Russia agreed to reestablish diplomatic communication between Washington and Moscow, including the appointments of ambassadors. The two nations will also appoint high-level teams to negotiate and work to bring about a “permanent end to the war,” according to a release from the State Department.
Both countries agreed to examine the product of “geopolitical and economic cooperation,” according to the State Department, if a ceasefire is successful. There was also talk of lifting the sanctions on Moscow, instigated by the Biden administration, but no mention of a path forward to doing so, according to Fox News.
Waltz told reporters the U.S. expects the discussions to touch on Russia retaining territories it captured and “security guarantees.”
“But I think the most important part is the president has stated his desire, his determination, to end this war, to end the killing that is going on,” he said, adding this sentiment is what’s driving the negotiations forward.
Trump and Putin to meet
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “The dialogue was highly fruitful,” adding, “We not only listened but also understood each other.”
Their meeting comes a week after President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone, according to the White House. It’s the first phone call between the two nations’ world leaders in three years. Trump entertained the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders, especially if a ceasefire deal is in place, in a post on Truth Social.
He described the call as “lengthy and highly productive,” where they both agreed on many things, including Ukraine.
“We want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine,” Trump said. “President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’ We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not included in the call but Trump promised to share what was discussed.
How is Ukraine responding to Russia-U.S. meeting?
Zelenskyy said he wasn’t invited to the meeting between U.S. and Russian officials. “It was a surprise for us,” he said at a press conference in Turkey after the Riyadh meeting. He was expected to be in that region but decided to change plans.
“We are absolutely honest and open. I don’t want any coincidences. That’s why I’m not going to Saudi Arabia,” he added. Unlike the Biden administration, the Trump White House isn’t as sympathetic to Zelenskyy’s requests for more funding, but the Ukrainian president maintains that peace isn’t possible without giving Ukraine a seat at the table.
“No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine,” he said at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend. Zelenskyy predicted that Europe would suffer the same fate as Trump bypassed NATO to start negotiations with the security alliance’s adversary.
How is Europe responding?
American allies in Europe felt snubbed and traveled to Paris for an emergency meeting, hosted by France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
While they expressed their concerns over the recent developments, the NATO allies could not decide whether to send troops to Ukraine ahead of a potential peace deal, as Politico reported.
“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” Macron posted on X following the visit from European leaders on Monday.
While some offered Ukraine platitudes, others, like Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, sounded the alarm over the effect of the Trump administration’s policies.
“Europe urgently needs its own plan of action concerning Ukraine,” Tusk said Saturday, as NBC News reported. “Or else other global players will decide about our future. Not necessarily in line with our own interests.”
Zelenskyy raised the need to create “an Army of Europe” during the security conference in Munich. Vice President JD Vance also attended the conference but did not mention Ukraine in his speech, instead he criticized European countries over their censorship laws.
Trump administration draws attention in Europe
Vance and Zelenskyy had a chance to meet and talk about the Trump administration’s hope for “durable, lasting peace,” and Ukraine’s need for security guarantees at the Munich summit.
Zelenskyy previously told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that without American aid, Ukraine’s chances of survival are very low.
Around the same time as Vance’s trip to Europe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in his remarks in Brussels, Belgium, labeled it unrealistic for Ukraine to become a part of NATO amid hopes to restore peace. He urged Europe to coalesce and send peacekeeper troops to Ukraine, shifting the financial responsibility to American allies.
“Make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into ‘Uncle Sucker,’” Hegseth said, per Reuters.
