The talks between the US and Russia have started in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and senior Putin aide Yuri Ushakov are holding discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and West Asia Envoy Steve Witkoff. The talks aim to pave the way for the first exchanges on a potential peace deal to end the Ukraine war. However, Ukraine and European leaders have been excluded, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine cannot agree to anything without its participation.
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Turkey today to discuss the conflict with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and will then head to Saudi Arabia a day later. He does not plan to hold talks with either the US or Russian delegations, his spokesperson said yesterday.
The talks come after US President Joe Biden held discussions with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, while the American defence chief ruled out Ukraine joining NATO. Though a tentative start to ending the Russia-Ukraine war, which is nearing its third year, both sides agree that this first high-level meeting since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine is crucial in ending the ongoing issues.
