Washington and Moscow have agreed to start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The first meeting concludes with a desire to move forward but also with a red line drawn by Russia. Its Foreign Minister, Lavrov, deems the possible deployment of European troops on Ukrainian soil "unacceptable," arguing that the contributing countries are actually part of NATO.
Aside from that, the United States and Russia have agreed to create "high-level" teams to address the end of the conflict "in due time." Seeking to calm criticism from Europe over what is essentially a bilateral process without Ukraine's participation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has promised that a hypothetical agreement will be "acceptable" to all.
The U.S. delegation has revealed that the negotiations will address issues related to territory and security guarantees for Ukraine in the post-war period. Zelenski has stated from Turkey that he wants this country, the EU, and the United States to provide these guarantees, a desire opposed to what Lavrov has expressed.
Russia Considers Deployment of European Troops in Ukraine "Unacceptable"
Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has deemed the deployment of European troops in Ukraine "unacceptable," stating that all of them are NATO members.
"The presence of forces from the same NATO countries under another flag, whether national or from the European Union, changes nothing. That remains unacceptable," Lavrov said in a press conference broadcast by Russian public television after the negotiations held with U.S. representatives in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. EFE
Russia Celebrates the Restoration of Cooperation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov highlighted that both countries have agreed to create the conditions to restore cooperation and have shown identical commitment to seek solutions to the war in Ukraine.
Lavrov added that the Russian delegation has explained to the U.S. that it considers NATO's expansion, with the possible inclusion of Ukraine, as a direct threat to Russia.
US States that All Parties Must Make Concessions and Negotiations Will Address Territory and Security Guarantees
Senior U.S. officials stated on Tuesday, after holding talks with a Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia, that all parties will have to make concessions to end the war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for three years.
"Today is the first step of a long and difficult journey, but an important one," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the talks in Riyadh. White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, also present in the U.S. delegation along with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, told reporters that no date had been set for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The U.S. delegation detailed that the negotiations would include discussions on territory and security guarantees for Ukraine. Rubio stated that Trump wants to act quickly to try to end the war, with the goal being a fair, lasting, and sustainable agreement.
US Secretary of State States that Peace in Ukraine Must Be "Acceptable to All"
Following his meeting with a high-level Russian delegation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that an agreement on Ukraine must be "acceptable" to all. He emphasized that no one should be excluded from this process and that the European Union would be invited to participate at some point. He also noted that the U.S. aspires to a "fair and lasting" end to the conflict.
From his perspective, Russia is willing to engage in a serious process to seek an end to the war in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Publicly Accuses EL MUNDO's Special Envoy to Ukraine of Illegally Entering Russia
The spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, falsely accused EL MUNDO's Special Envoy to Ukraine, Alberto Rojas, of illegally entering Russia from Ukrainian territory. Russia once again publicly points to the Spanish journalist, who has never been in Russia, after the Russian news agency RIA Novosti falsely claimed that Alberto Rojas had entered the Russian region of Kursk with Ukrainian soldiers fighting against the Russian invasion.
Saudi Arabia, Once Marginalized, Consolidates Its Diplomatic Influence
Saudi Arabia, isolated for a time after the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018, returns to the international stage with strength by hosting a high-level meeting between the United States and Russia, according to experts.
The potential holding of a meeting in Saudi Arabia between Trump and Putin comes after the kingdom's great rival, Qatar, was praised for hosting negotiations that led to a truce agreement between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza. "It is a great impact for Saudi Arabia: to see the two superpowers gathered in Riyadh to resolve their differences [...] gives prestige and confirms the kingdom's soft power," said Ali Shihabi, an advisor to the Saudi government.
The kingdom's capital will also host an Arab summit on Friday to discuss the response to the idea presented by Trump for Gaza, where the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as well as those of Egypt and Jordan, will meet.
Russia and the US Will Create "High-Level" Teams to Discuss the War in Ukraine "in Due Time"
The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, have decided after meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday to appoint "high-level" teams to negotiate the end of the conflict in Ukraine, as announced by the U.S. State Department. Rubio and Lavrov agreed to "appoint their respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to end the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a lasting, sustainable, and acceptable manner for all parties," said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Russia and the United States will discuss the conflict in Ukraine "in due time," stated a Kremlin negotiator. "We discussed and presented our principled positions, and agreed that different negotiating teams will contact each other on this matter in due time," said Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin's diplomatic advisor, who also considered it premature to talk about a "rapprochement" between Russia and the United States and a date for a summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Zelenski Requests "Guarantees" from the US, EU, and Turkey for a Possible Peace Agreement with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski advanced on Tuesday in Ankara, moments before his meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he will request "security guarantees" from the United States, the European Union, and Turkey for any peace agreement reached with Russia, as reported by Efe.
"As a country, we want peace, we want the war to end. But we want the end of the war to be based on certain security guarantees," said Zelenski in an interview with the Turkish agency Anadolu.
"We hope that these security guarantees will be offered by the United States, the European Union, Turkey, and all of Europe," specified the Ukrainian president, whose meeting with Erdogan coincides with the start of negotiations between the United States and Russia in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Russia and the US Have Started Listening to Each Other
The Russian and U.S. delegations have started listening to each other, but it is too early to talk about commitments, said Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, after concluding the talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, according to Reuters.
"I think it is too early to talk about commitments; we can say that the parties have started communicating with each other, they have started listening to each other, they have started the dialogue," said Dmitriev.