Saudi Arabia, Feb 19, (V7N) – In the first major ceasefire negotiations for Ukraine since Russia's invasion nearly three years ago, U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia, marking a significant shift in diplomatic relations. However, the talks excluded Ukraine and other European nations, raising questions about whether a peace agreement could be reached without Ukraine's participation.

The meeting, which concluded on Tuesday, did not result in clear terms for ending the bloody conflict, and Ukraine, along with its European allies, expressed doubts about the possibility of achieving lasting security without the input of the invaded country.

This gathering marked the first thaw in U.S.-Russia relations in years, even as critics accused the U.S. of making concessions by holding direct talks with Russia. The discussions focused on security guarantees and territorial issues, according to the U.S. delegation.

The talks were initiated by President Donald Trump, who made the first direct call to Russian President Vladimir Putin since the war began. However, there are no future calls scheduled between the two leaders, according to Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed to form high-level teams tasked with negotiating an end to the war. They also discussed steps to normalize the strained diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Russia.

Trump emphasized that his goal is to stop the killing, with the U.S. State Department stating that Trump is the only leader capable of bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiation table.

The meeting in Saudi Arabia coincided with a shift in U.S. policy on the Ukraine war. The Trump administration signaled that Ukraine's NATO membership and a return to its pre-invasion borders were no longer priorities. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, during a trip to Europe, stated that Ukraine's NATO membership was an unrealistic expectation to resolve the conflict. In response, Russia insisted that NATO should also renounce any future promises of Ukraine’s membership.

However, Ukraine expressed frustration at being excluded from the talks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine would need strong security guarantees to prevent Russia from breaking a ceasefire deal and launching another invasion.

Zelenskyy said, “I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine… and our people.” He underscored that the war in Ukraine was directly affecting his country and its people.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had planned to visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, but postponed it until March, coinciding with the conclusion of U.S.-Russia talks.

Other European leaders voiced their concerns over the U.S. moving forward with talks without Europe's involvement. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized the discussions, calling it “premature” and stressing that Ukraine had not agreed to any peace talks. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed willingness to send British troops to Ukraine to guarantee its security post-ceasefire, but emphasized that a U.S. security guarantee would be necessary to effectively deter Russia from further aggression.

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