Marta Gichko10:14, 18.02.25
Washington insisted that the meeting was not the start of peace talks.
Delegations from the United States and Russia have begun talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The parties plan to discuss prospects for ending the war in Ukraine.
A number of Russian media outlets reported on the start of negotiations between Russian and American diplomats . In addition, the first statements from delegates are appearing.
Washington insisted the meeting was not the start of peace talks, but the White House team said the talks were designed to test whether Russia was “serious” about ending the war.
US and Russia begin negotiations
The talks are being attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. There will be no Ukrainian or European presence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not recognise any agreement reached without Kyiv’s participation, after European leaders met in Paris on Monday for an emergency meeting on possible peace talks.
Member of the Russian delegation Kirill Dmitriev has already held a meeting with members of the American delegation. According to Russian media, he stated that progress in the negotiations between Russia and the US “is possible in the next 2-3 months.”
Russian media also write that members of the Russian delegation made a number of other statements during the meeting, including about Ukraine. In particular, the Russians insist that the US has lost “more than Russia” due to sanctions, and Joe Biden’s policies have “undermined confidence in the dollar.”
In addition, Kremlin diplomats insist that the policy of containing Russia has “failed.”
(C)UNIAN 2025
Putin: I want half Ukraine: Trump : Lets make a deal, i’ll give you whole Ukraine. DEAL.
In particular, the Russians insist that the US has lost “more than Russia” due to sanctions, and Joe Biden’s policies have “undermined confidence in the dollar.”
If the dollar is undermined, the ruble has sunk without trace.