U.S. and Russian officials met in Riyadh on Tuesday for the first time to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, with Kyiv and its European allies nervously watching.
This marked a significant push by the U.S. to halt the conflict, barely a month into President Trump’s term and just days after a phone call with Russian President Putin. However, Ukraine and European leaders worry Trump may rush into a deal that could undermine their security interests, reward Russia for its invasion, and let Putin continue to threaten Ukraine and other nations.
Critics argue that by ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine and dismissing Kyiv’s hopes of regaining all its lost territory, Trump has already given too much ground. U.S. officials defend their stance, saying they’re simply acknowledging the current situation. Ukraine, however, insists it must be involved in any peace negotiations. “We cannot accept any agreements without us,” President Zelensky declared last week.
The Riyadh talks featured a fresh U.S. team: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, facing Russia’s long-time Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin’s senior aide Yuri Ushakov. The two sides sat across from each other, with reporters not getting answers to their pressing questions about Ukraine’s involvement and U.S. demands.
Moscow hinted that these talks might pave the way for a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin, a prospect both men have shown interest in.
The war began in February 2022, following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Since then, Russia has controlled about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory. Trump’s campaign promise to end the war in 24 hours now seems more like a long-term goal, as U.S. officials now acknowledge the process will take months. Trump has called the war “ridiculous,” saying it’s destroying Russia, but Moscow has made gains recently, with its troops advancing quickly and easing their isolation from the West, which had been near-total under Biden.
U.S. officials framed Tuesday’s talks as an early step to see if Russia is genuinely interested in peace. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Putin’s willingness to negotiate but added that any deal with Ukraine would need to consider the legitimacy of President Zelensky, who remains in office beyond his term due to martial law.
The talks were expected to cover broader U.S.-Russia relations, including nuclear arms control and global energy prices, in addition to the war. Meanwhile, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with significant military aid and imposed heavy sanctions on Russia, which Moscow claims has backfired, hurting the sanctioning countries, too.
In Riyadh, Russian officials discussed ways to lift trade barriers, with Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, noting that U.S. businesses lost $300 billion when they left Russia.
As the U.S. and Russia negotiate, Europe is trying to hold onto its influence. European leaders held urgent talks on Monday, calling for increased defense spending but remaining divided over the potential for sending peacekeepers to Ukraine. They agreed that a ceasefire without a full peace agreement would be dangerous, and they’re prepared to offer Ukraine security guarantees depending on U.S. support. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had previously suggested sending peacekeepers, emphasized that U.S. backing would be critical for European involvement on the ground.
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, said he’d visit Ukraine on Wednesday and remarked that U.S. policy would keep all options open, including security guarantees for European peacekeepers if needed.
