State Department: Riyadh meeting is not a negotiation on Ukraine

^{Photo: Lukas Coch/IMAGO}
The US administration is not viewing the meeting with the Russian delegation in the Saudi capital Riyadh as the start of "negotiations" on Ukraine, but rather as a continuation of a phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said on Monday, February 17. "I don't think people should see this as something that is about details or negotiations," Bruce was quoted as saying by AFP.

Earlier, a member of the Russian delegation, aide to the Russian president, Yuri Ushakov, expressed a similar opinion. According to him, in Saudi Arabia, the Russian and US delegations will discuss how to start negotiations on Ukraine. “Now the question is to agree on how to start the negotiations on Ukraine, because the American side has not yet appointed a chief negotiator who could work with us,” Ushakov explained.

“Discussing issues of normalizing relations, discussing issues of possible start of negotiations in Ukraine and discussing prospects of contacts at the highest level - these are three tasks,” Ushakov said.

In addition to Ushakov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will also participate in the talks on February 18. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, may also join the meeting, TASS reports. The American delegation will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US President’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

Ukraine not participating in US-Russian talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian representatives in Saudi Arabia will not participate in the meeting of the US and Russian delegations. A day earlier, a Ukrainian government delegation had paid a working visit to Saudi Arabia to prepare for Zelensky's visit.

Meanwhile, European heads of state and government met in Paris to develop a common position on Ukraine. The German Foreign Ministry explained that Europe was thus coordinating its actions and would then adopt a common approach to resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”