Riad:
Russia and the US agreed on Tuesday to set up a team to negotiate the path to end the war in Ukraine after talks that sparked strong responsibilities from Kiev.
Washington noted that European countries should sit at the negotiation table “at some point,” following Washington-Moscow's first official talks since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
European leaders, stalked over President Donald Trump's US policy overhaul on Russia, fear that Washington will make serious concessions to Moscow and rewrite continental security arrangements with a Cold War style deal It's there.
Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky has condemned his country's exclusion from Riyadh's gathering, which lasted more than four hours.
He said consultations aimed at ending the war were “fair” and should involve European countries, including Turkey, which offered to host negotiations.
“This only gives Putin's appetite,” a senior Ukrainian official who calls for Ukraine's anonymity told AFP, referring to the release of the Ukraine-free speech.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “we agreed to appoint each high-level team to begin working on the path to end the Ukraine conflict as soon as possible,” the US State Department said. .
Washington added that the aspect also agreed to “establish a consultation mechanism” to address “stimulants” in relations between Russia and the US.
President Vladimir Putin's diplomatic aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the appointment of the negotiation team, but said it would be “difficult” to discuss the dates of a potential meeting for Trump Putin.
– “We heard each other”
The conference marks the major diplomatic coup in Moscow. Moscow was quarantined for three years under the US administration before then President Joe Biden.
Moscow's economic negotiator, Kiril Dmitriev, said that Western attempts to isolate Russia were “clearly failed.”
“We didn't just listen, we've heard each other. We have reason to believe that the US side has better understood our position,” Lavrov told reporters.
Veteran diplomats pointed out that Russia opposed the deployment of NATO-Nation forces into Ukraine as part of the final ceasefire.
This week, European allies have forked publicly on the question of whether they are open to sending ceasefire peacekeepers to Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer said he was ready to consider violating British soldiers.
French President Emmanuel Macron told the regional newspaper on Tuesday. Paris “doesn't prepare to send wary ground forces in conflict, but to the forefront,” and “considering the dispatch of experts or troops on limited and even limited conditions. “It was there.” Competition zones.”
Meanwhile, German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz said debate on the issue was “completely premature.”
Macron said he will hold another round of talks between Europe and non-European countries on Wednesday after Monday's emergency meeting in Paris, which brought together a few major European countries.
Russia sketched out several perspectives on future consultations, claiming that a reorganization of European defence agreements would be necessary to resolve the war.
Moscow has long called for the withdrawal of NATO forces from Eastern Europe, and sees the alliance as an existential threat to that aspect.
Before invading Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow had demanded that NATO escape from Central and Eastern Europe.
Rubio explained the Riyadh consultation to a major European minister on Tuesday, acknowledging that at some point Europe needs to be involved.
“There are other political parties that have sanctions (in Russia). The European Union also has sanctions, so at some point you'll have to be at the table,” Rubio told them.
– “How to start negotiations” –
Negotiations at Diliya Palace in Riyadh began without a visible handshake.
Both Russia and the US cast Tuesday's meeting as the start of a potentially long process, disregarding the prospects of a breakthrough.
Trump has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, but has not presented any concrete plans so far.
The US told both sides that if the talks come to fruition, concessions must be made.
On the eve of the summit, Russia even said there was a “thinking” to give up territory seized from Ukraine.
The Kremlin on Tuesday said Ukraine has the “right” to join the European Union, but is not a NATO military alliance.
Putin also said he is ready to negotiate with Zelensky “if necessary.”
But it once again questioned his “legitimacy” – references to his five-year term, despite Ukrainian law not calling for wartime elections.
The Ukrainian leader was in Türkiye on Tuesday, and was there for discussions over the conflict with President Recept Tayyip Erdogan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published by Syndicate Feed.)
