The USA and Russia agree to “put the foundations” for the end of the war in Ukraine

Russia and the US agreed to “put the foundations for future cooperation” after the war of Ukraine and lightning normalization of relations, after their first conversations about the conflict since the invasion of President Vladimir Putin.

After four and a half hours of negotiations in Riyadh on Tuesday, the US Department of State said War and establish a diplomatic channel to solve bilateral problems.

The conversations meant an extraordinary return of events after US President Donald Trump called Putin last week, trying to end the war – without consulting Ukraine or her European allies.

“This must be the constant end of the war, not a temporary end, as we saw in the past,” said US national security advisor Mike Waltz, who accompanied the secretary of state Marco Rubio and the special envoy of Trump Steve Witkoff during talks.

Tuesday’s meeting in Riyadh was the first of its kind between the USA and Russia from Moscow in February 2022 in Ukraine. In the view, almost unthinkable, even a few weeks ago, Russian and American flags flew side by side outside the rich palace where the meeting took place.

“The practical reality is that there will be a discussion about the territory and there will be a discussion on a security guarantee is just the basic basics,” added Waltz, noting that Trump was “determined to move very quickly.”

In a language, largely reflected by the Russian side, the United States Department said that the new diplomatic channel between the two countries “would put the foundations for future cooperation in matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historical economic and investment opportunities” after the war of Ukraine.

Kirill Dmitriev, general director of the Russian Sovereign Property Fund, said the Financial Times, which two sides discussed “restoring economic ties in those areas that are the subject of common interest.”

Dmitryv, who was in Riyadh during talks, refused to provide detailed details, but said that this may include joint investments in “various companies”, creating “joint companies with American partners” and investing in the Arctic.

The US-Russia rapprochemation caused concerns in Kiev and European capitals that Trump wants Settle the conflict on Moscow’s terms.

Washington seemed to include some of Putin’s basic demands before talks began on Tuesday after he told Ukraine’s ambitions to join NATO and regain the territory currently occupied by Russia, they were not “realistic”.

In the hard sign of Putin would face Ukraine, the Russian side emphasized that “it was necessary to settle the initial reasons” of the conflict and ensure “legal interests of all countries of the region.”

This indicated that the Kremlin did not abandon its goals consisting in conquering large areas of Ukraine and preventing the country to remain a functioning state.

Russia excluded a role in Europe in talks and demanded that the invitation to Ukraine in 2008 to join the alliance in 2008.

The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that after US-Russia talks, describing Tuesday’s meeting as a “surprise”.

Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy advisor, said that the US and Russia would work on “creating conditions” at the Trump-Putin meeting, but he said that it probably would not happen next week, because first “thorough work” was needed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrow said that both sides agreed “to ensure the quick appointment of ambassadors in the capitals and remove obstacles that Biden administration on our diplomatic missions introduced.”

These barriers included “expulsion of diplomats, the issue of taking our property and banking transactions,” said Lavrow. “Our deputies will soon organize a meeting to assess the need to remove these barriers,” he added.

Normalization of bilateral relations would require raising sanctions against Russia, which was one of Moscow’s main demands.

Rubio said that the EU “would have to be at the table at some point because they have sanctions [on Russia] also”.

When asked what concessions would have done in return, the Secretary of State of the US said that any such step results from “hard, difficult diplomacy” in “closed rooms for some time”.

He added: “Nobody is moved here.” According to the spokesman for the United States Department, Rubio informed foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain about his meeting with Lavrow.

“The group agreed to remain in close contact when we are working on achieving a lasting end of the conflict in Ukraine,” they added.

When Europe tries to respond to US-rosa talks, French President Emmanuel Macron plans on Wednesday an emergency meeting of European leaders, the second this week, according to people informed about plans.

The meeting is largely intended for countries that were not invited to the previous peak on Monday, when The leaders clashed over the shipment of peace forces to Ukraine. While Great Britain suggested that “shoes on earth”, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain expressed reluctance to this.

Lavrow said on Tuesday that every European peaceful distribution was “unacceptable”. He also suggested that Moscow rejected the American request to stop attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, claiming – falsely – that Russia did not attack civilians.

Waltz said that the US conducts “shuttle diplomats” and consulted with Zelenskyy and Macron, while Trump met with the prime minister of Great Britain Sir Keir Starmer next week.

He rejected “the view that our allies did not consult.”

Kiiv said that everyone would reject A contract imposed on this Without his commitment, while European countries tried to get the seat at the table.

When talks took place on Tuesday, Zelenskyy visited his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who previously tried to play a brocade role in conflict.

“We don’t want the peace to mediate behind the scenes without our commitment,” said the Ukrainian president. “Peace cannot be achieved without Ukraine.”

Additional reports conducted by Anastasia Stognei in Berlin, Ayla Jean Yack in Istanbul, Henry Foy in Brussels, Leila Abboud in Paris and George Parker in London