Top Russian, U.S. officials meet for talks on Ukraine war without Kyiv

Senior officials from Russia and the U.S. meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving ties and ending the war in Ukraine.

Senior officials from Russia and the U.S. met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (February 18, 2025) to begin talks on improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.

Delegations led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh. The meeting marks another pivotal step by the Trump administration to reverse the US. policy on isolating Russia and is meant to pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Trump earlier this month upended U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia by saying he and Mr. Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war.

Ukrainian officials aren't taking part in the meeting, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday (February 17, 2025) that his country won't accept the outcome if Kyiv doesn't take part.

Mr. Rubio was accompanied by U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while Lavrov sat next to the Kremlin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and National Security Adviser Musaed al Alban joined Mr. Rubio, Mr. Lavrov and others for the start of the meeting but were expected to leave early in the talks.

Mr. Ushakov said on Monday (February 17, 2025) the talks would be “purely bilateral” and would not include Ukrainian officials.

The talks mark a significant expansion of U.S.-Russian contacts nearly three years into a war that has seen ties fall to the lowest level in decades.