US State Department summarizes talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia: Key points
Photo: Trump began negotiations with the aggressor country (Getty Images)
US and Russian delegations make progress toward peace in Ukraine during talks in Saudi Arabia. The parties reached agreements on a number of issues, Reuters reports, citing the US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
"One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace. We must take action, and today we took an important step forward," Bruce said.
US State Department Spokesperson stated in a summary of the negotiations that the United States wants to stop the killings and is using its global influence to unite countries.
According to Bruce, President Trump is the only leader in the world who could convince Ukraine and Russia to agree to this.
State Department Spokesperson said that during the negotiations, US and Russian officials agreed:
- "Establish a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalize the operation of our respective diplomatic missions."
- "Appoint respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides."
- "Lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine."
- "Remain engaged to make sure the process moves forward in a timely and productive manner."
Talks in Riyadh
A meeting between US and Russian official delegations took place in Saudi Arabia on February 18.
The Riyadh negotiations followed a phone conversation between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin last week, during which the American leader shifted key US positions on the war.
The US delegation included White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Putin sent Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov to the talks.
As the US State Department noted ahead of the negotiations, the meeting was meant to "determine whether the Russians are serious and whether they are on the same page as the US in terms of ending the war in Ukraine."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already warned that Ukraine will not recognize "any agreements about us without us."
