RIYADH: Following the 4-hour long rendezvous here Tuesday (18th Feb 2025), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintained that the meeting was the first step of a long and difficult journey to ending the war in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, terming the parleys as very useful conversation, said that he had reasons to believe that the American party now had a better understanding of Russian position. Reiterating his country’s stand that any expansion of Nato and the admission of Ukraine would be a direct threat to Russia, Sergei Lavrov rejected the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping force in Ukraine: “Any appearance by armed forces under some other flag does not change anything. It is of course completely unacceptable.”
Putin’s head of sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev is part of Russian delegation though not the high-level meeting.
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Russian head of sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev termed the dialogue with US delegation on Ukraine War as very positive and constructive. Dmitriev, pointing out that Biden administration never attempted to hear Russian position, noted that the Riyadh parleys were endeavouring to commence dialogue, comprehend the Russian point of view and talk about matters US-Russia agree upon. He optimistically maintained that the Moscow and Washington understood each other better now.
Earlier, on his arrival here on 17th Feb US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was welcomed by KSA’s FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud at the HQ of Saudi Foreign Ministry.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov are part of the delegation talking to American top diplomat Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in order to figure out a way to end the ongoing Ukraine War.
Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff
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Informing the Media apropos the rendezvous Russian spokesman informed that the delegation from Moscow was “expected to hold a meeting with their American counterparts on Tuesday, which will focus primarily on restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations. It will also be devoted to the preparation of possible negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement and the organisation of a meeting between the two presidents.”
As, following the Trump-Putin telephonic conversation, USA is pushing to end the 3-year Kyiv-Moscow War, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he needed security guarantees. Following his 14th Feb 2025 rendezvous with with US Vice President J D Vance at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky took to the Social Media platform to state:
“I had a good meeting with US Vice President JD Vance. I am grateful to him and his entire team for the discussion, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy General Keith Kellogg also taking part. Our teams will continue to work on the document. We addressed many key issues and look forward to welcoming General Kellogg to Ukraine…
“… for further meetings and a deeper assessment of the situation on the ground. We are ready to move as quickly as possible towards a real and guaranteed peace. We deeply value President Trump’s determination, which can help stop the war and secure justice and security guarantees for Ukraine.”
Later, Zelenskyy told about his productive conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron: “I informed him about today’s meeting with US Vice President J.D. Vance and my recent phone call with President Trump.“We must develop a joint strategy with the US and Europe to bring about a just peace and sit all at the negotiation table together.
“We discussed many key issues, including security guarantees and France’s concrete proposals. It is crucial that we share the same vision of what a just end to this war should be like. I appreciate France’s efforts for our collective security and its commitment to the principle: ‘Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’. “
While according to the President of Ukraine his country had not been taken into the loop, European Union too has not been invited to the US-Russian rendezvous at Saudi Arabia. Sources insinuate though USA had proposed taking ownership of half of critical minerals on the Ukrainian terrain, Volodymyr Zelenskyy laments: “We can’t rule out the possibility that America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it.”
Earlier, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to inform that he had a lengthy and highly productive conversation with Vladimir Putin on 12th February. During the conversation the two presidents agreed that they wanted to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. Following the telephonic conversation Trump and Putin agreed that the parleys to end the war would commence immediately.
Trump had instructed a team, including Marco Rubio, to lead the parleys. He went on to inform that he would work closely with Putin and they would also visit each other’s countries: “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling … Volodymyr Zelensky, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now.”
Newspakistan.tv
