Russia and the US agreed at the talks without Ukraine to continue their efforts to end the war. The United States and Russia agreed in Riyadh on Tuesday to continue efforts to end the war in Ukraine, a U.S. official said, as Kiev and its European allies watched the talks with suspense and Moscow made a major new demand.
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department Tammy Bruce said that both parties had agreed on the appointment of "of relevant high-level teams to begin working towards an early end to the conflict in Ukraine in a way that is durable, sustainable and acceptable to all parties."
Ukrainian and European officials fear that President Donald Trump could strike a hasty deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin that would ignore their security interests, reward Moscow for its invasion and leave Putin free to threaten Ukraine or other countries in the future.
"The issue of a convergence of positions between Russia and the US was raised during the talks between the two delegations, but it is hard to say that it is happening yet," the Kremlin adviser said on Channel One television Yuri Ushakov.
"So far, it is hard to say that there is a convergence [the positions of Russia and the United States], but there was talk of it," he said in response to the corresponding question.
Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev said after the Russian-American talks in Riyadh that he was "too early to talk about compromise".
"I think it is too early to talk about compromises. We can say that the parties have started to communicate, they have started to listen to each other, they have started a dialogue," told Reuters.
Dmitriev said the Russian and American teams treated each other with respect, as equals.
"We cannot disclose the details. I can only say that we have a very important footprint in the economy. And obviously there is a political issue. I'm not dealing with political issues, I'm dealing with investment and economic issues. We have a number of proposals that our colleagues are thinking about. I believe that progress can be made there, not in the long term, but in the next two or three months," He noted Dmitriev.
The interviews began without the traditional handshake for journalists
High-level Russian-American talks begin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, reported a TASS news agency correspondent. The meeting began without any preliminary discussions or handshakes in the presence of the press.
The members of the delegations were seated around a large rectangular table. The Russian side sits on the right and the American side on the left. From the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov are seated at the negotiating table. Across from them sit three American negotiators: President Donald Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US leader's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
At the head of the table are representatives of Saudi Arabia. Kirill Dmitriev, Director General of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, is also present. He made several comments to reporters after the meeting opened.
Representatives of the Russian and American media were brought to the meeting venue at the same time, with Russian and American journalists waiting in different parts of the building. The journalists entered the room when the negotiators were already seated at the table.
The meeting is being held in one of the palaces of the Diriyah royal family in the Albasateen complex. The flags of Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia are displayed at the entrance and a purple carpet is laid.
Meeting between Minister Rubio and the Saudi Crown Prince and Foreign Minister
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before the meeting met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. The Minister also met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh.
Highlighting the 80th anniversary of the 1945 meeting between President Franklin Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz aboard the USS Quincy, which falls this month, the minister emphasized the strength of U.S.-Saudi relations. The Secretary expressed hope for expanded economic and defense cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia and committed to further strengthening the bilateral partnership.
The Secretary of State and the Crown Prince reaffirmed their commitment to implement the ceasefire in Gaza and to ensure that Hamas releases all hostages, including American citizens. The Minister stressed the importance of the arrangement for Gaza, which contributes to regional security. They discussed ways to advance common interests in Syria, Lebanon and throughout the region, including Red Sea security and freedom of navigation.
Reuters/ TASS/ state.gov/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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