US, Russia hold talks in Riyadh on Ukraine war
text_fieldsThe first session of the Riyadh-hosted negotiations between Moscow and Washington came to a close on Tuesday, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. Saudi Arabia is hosting the talks on Ukraine between Russia and the US as part of its efforts to enhance global peace and security, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry announced earlier on Tuesday.
A statement released by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that under the directive of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “Saudi Arabia hosts today, Tuesday, in the city of Riyadh, talks between the Russian Federation and the United States of America, as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to enhance security and peace in the world.”
The meeting was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the presence of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Saudi Minister of State and National Security advisor Musaed Al-Aiban.
The talks between US and Russian officials in Riyadh are the most significant to date between the two former Cold War foes on ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The conversation could pave the way for a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
But the talks in the Saudi capital underscored the rapid pace of US efforts to halt the conflict, less than a month after Trump took office and six days after he spoke by phone to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine and European leaders are worried that Trump could cut a hasty deal with Moscow that ignores their security interests, rewards Russia for invading its neighbour and leaves Putin free to threaten Ukraine or other countries in the future.