PNN – US President Donald Trump has sent his team to Saudi Arabia for peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s team before consulting Europe, leaving European leaders scrambling to find a role in the diplomatic effort surrounding the Ukraine war.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, US Republican President Donald Trump revealed last week that he spoke with Putin last Wednesday and that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine will begin “immediately”.
Today, the first phase of those talks on Ukraine’s future took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – without inviting Ukraine or Europe to the table.
CNN reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after participating in the meeting on Tuesday: The US and Russia agreed on four principles to end the war in Ukraine.
According to Rubio, these four principles are:
– Reopening embassies in the respective capitals
– The appointment of a high-level team by the United States to help end the war in Ukraine
– Start of discussion on “geopolitical and economic cooperation” that could provide the conditions for ending the war in Ukraine for the US and Russia
– And finally, everyone involved in today’s talks is committed to making sure it moves forward.
After talking with the Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia, senior American officials announced that all sides should make concessions to end the three-year war in Ukraine.
After the talks in Riyadh, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: Today, the first step of a long and difficult but important journey was taken, and US President Donald Trump wants to act quickly to end the war, and the goal is to reach a just and sustainable agreement.
The Secretary of State of the second administration of Donald Trump added: “If there is an acceptable end to this conflict, there will be great opportunities for the United States and Russia.” There are “credible opportunities” for the US to “partner geopolitically with the Russians on matters of common interest as well as economically.”
Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine would include discussions on territory and security guarantees.
“There will be a discussion about territory and security guarantees,” Waltz said after talks with Russian officials in Riyadh. These are the basic foundations that will underpin any kind of discussion.
The reaction of different parties to the negotiations:
Great achievement
Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and part of Russia’s negotiating team in Saudi Arabia, described the talks as a “major achievement” after years of hostility, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said they were “useful.”
Great opportunities
The U.S. Secretary of State said “tremendous opportunities” could be available for the U.S. and Russia if the war in Ukraine ends.
Rubio said there are “credible opportunities” for the U.S. to “partner geopolitically with the Russians on issues of common economic interest.”
Earlier today, other European leaders reacted to the talks, with the head of the European Commission telling the US envoy to Ukraine and Russia in a meeting that “now is a critical moment” for the war and that the deal “must respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Separately, British Defense Secretary John Haley said efforts to end the war in Ukraine heralded a “new era of threat.”
China also said it expects “all sides” in the Ukraine war to sit down for peace talks.
The first steps to start negotiations between the United States and Russia
President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of the United States of America Donald Trump talked to each other on the phone and agreed to meet in person.
The foreign ministers of Russia and the United States also emphasized in a phone call their commitment to cooperation to resolve bilateral issues, the conflict in Ukraine as well as Palestine.
From the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the assistant to the president of this country, Yuri Ushakov, and from the US, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and US Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Steve Witkoff participated in the talks hosted by Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.