Top American and Russian officials emerged from four hours of intensive negotiations in Saudi Arabia with a groundbreaking four-point plan aimed at ending the Ukraine war, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed outrage at being excluded from the talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, leading the American delegation at Riyadh’s Diriyah Palace, declared former President Donald Trump as the “only leader in the world” capable of brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine.
The high-stakes meeting marked the first direct U.S.-Russia diplomatic engagement of this scale since the conflict began in February 2022.
The four-point framework includes reestablishing diplomatic missions between the U.S. and Russia, appointing a high-level American negotiating team, exploring geopolitical and economic cooperation and maintaining engagement between the five key officials present at the Saudi talks. However, the breakthrough comes amid significant controversy.
Zelenskyy, speaking from Ankara, Turkey, forcefully rejected any potential Russian ultimatums and canceled his planned visit to Saudi Arabia in protest.
“I wonder why they believe Ukraine would accept all these ultimatums now if we refused them at the most difficult moment,” Zelenskyy said, referencing Ukraine’s stance during early war negotiations.
The talks, which included Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, followed recent phone conversations between Trump and both Putin and Zelensky.
Lavrov described the meeting as “very useful,” noting that both sides “not only listened, but also heard each other,” the Daily Mail reported.
The diplomatic initiative represents a stark departure from previous U.S. approaches to Russia.
The outlet further noted that Rubio, who once labeled Putin an “expert liar,” now suggests potential partnership opportunities with Russia on various fronts.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz emphasized that any agreement must result in a permanent end to the conflict, not merely a temporary pause.
European leaders, though absent from the Riyadh talks, remain actively engaged.
French President Emmanuel Macron, following discussions with Trump and Zelensky, stressed the need for “strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” per Daily Mail.
In Paris, Macron met with other European leaders to address the ongoing crisis, signaling their commitment to increased defense investment and security cooperation.
The meeting’s aftermath saw immediate diplomatic activity, with Rubio conducting a briefing call with foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, along with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
Daily Mail reported that State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed the allies’ commitment to maintaining close contact throughout the peace process.
Russia’s position remains firm, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova declaring NATO membership for Ukraine “unacceptable” and demanding the alliance withdraw its 2008 Bucharest promises of eventual Ukrainian membership.
The Bucharest declaration, made during a summit in Romania, had affirmed both Ukraine’s and Georgia’s future NATO membership without providing a specific pathway.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, hosting Zelenskyy in Ankara, offered his country as an “ideal host” for future trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
Daily Mail highlighted that this proposal comes as diplomatic channels expand, despite Ukraine’s current exclusion from direct negotiations.
The question of territorial concessions remains unaddressed, with Waltz declining to specify whether the U.S. would accept Russia retaining any Ukrainian territory annexed since the invasion.
“What the president did not find acceptable was an endless war in Europe that was literally turning into, has turned into, a meat grinder of people on both sides,” Waltz stated, according to the outlet.
Britain’s involvement added another layer to the diplomatic complexity, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposal for European or NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine was swiftly rejected by Russia’s deputy foreign minister, highlighting the challenges ahead in reaching a comprehensive peace agreement.
