The Russian and US Foreign Ministers and the two countries’ delegation to Saudi Arabia to negotiate a series of issues, including Ukraine.
“The delegation is expected to hold a meeting with US counterparts on February 18, focusing mainly on restoring the relationship between the two countries. Taking place on the Ukrainian issue and holding a meeting between the two presidents, “the spokesman Kremlin Dmitry Peskov on February 17 talked about the Russian – US delegation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
According to Peskov, the Russian delegation will be by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Mr. Yuri Ushakov, assistant of President Vladimir Putin on foreign affairs and guidance. The two officials flew to Riyadh.
Peskov added Saudi Arabia to be chosen as the place where it was a “acceptable” place with both Russia and the United States. He also said “still too early” to discuss the role of Europe in negotiating to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on January 21. Image: Reuters
The Kremlin spokesman declined to comment on the information that Russian National Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev also accompanied to meet the US delegation. He also did not answer the question whether Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump would meet directly in Saudi Arab later this month.
US State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce also confirmed that the country’s delegation will meet Russia in Riyadh. “Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and the White House special envoy on the issue of the Middle East Steve Witkoff will meet the Russian delegates,” Bruce said.
Before leaving to Riyadh, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said he had no reason for Europe to participate in Ukrainian peace talks.
“I don’t know what they will do at the negotiation table. If they just go there for the purpose of continuing the war, so why invite them,” he said.
According to Foreign Minister Lavrov, Europe had the opportunity to resolve conflict since 2014, the time of Russia merged the Crimea peninsula and supported the separatist movement in eastern Ukraine, but this block “did not know how to seize the opportunity. “.
The prospect of peaceful negotiations in Ukraine increased after rapid moves from the Trump administration, first of all the phone talks with the Russian president and later with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
The US president after the phone talk with Putin last week said that the two leaders would start negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine immediately and they also discussed the Middle East and Energy issues. , USD and AI.
The US side announced that it would ask both Russia and Ukraine to give in to the ceasefire, but Mr. Lavrov confirmed that Moscow would not compromise the territories they had controlled in the east and southern Ukraine, even Chi emphasized that this is a “not thought of” in the negotiation process.