18.02.2025 17:53
The Ukraine summit held in Saudi Arabia was marked by Russia's defiance towards the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, "We are not sidelining anyone. At some point, the European Union will also be involved in the process," while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov remarked, "We will never allow NATO forces to be deployed to Ukraine under the EU flag."
The capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, hosted a historic summit. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sat down with their delegations to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian side did not participate in the talks.
“UKRAINE” SUMMIT IN RIYADH
Following the approximately 4.5-hour summit, statements came in quick succession. The Kremlin announced that the meeting went well. The U.S. State Department stated that Rubio and Lavrov agreed to appoint high-level teams to start working towards ending the war as soon as possible.
AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION
It was reported that Rubio and Lavrov agreed to establish a consultation mechanism to address "provocative elements" in U.S.-Russia relations and to cooperate in the future on mutual geopolitical interests and the historical economic and investment opportunities arising from the end of the conflict in Ukraine.
KREMLIN: PUTIN WILL DECIDE WHEN CONTACTS WILL BEGIN
The statement included the following: "This was a serious meeting where all issues were addressed. Negotiations with the U.S. went positively. The Putin-Trump meeting is not expected to take place next week, but the groundwork for the meeting was discussed. We reached a mutual agreement to negotiate about Ukraine. Putin will decide when contacts with the U.S. regarding Ukraine will begin."
U.S.: HIGH-LEVEL TEAMS WILL BE APPOINTED FROM BOTH SIDES
After the meeting, the U.S. side stated that both parties agreed to establish a consultation mechanism to address contentious points. The U.S. State Department said that it was agreed to appoint high-level teams to start working towards ending the Russia-Ukraine War as soon as possible.
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: THERE MUST BE A PERMANENT END TO THE UKRAINE WAR
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in front of cameras, announced that they agreed on four principles with the Russian side. Rubio stated that both sides would appoint teams to restore the functionality of their missions, saying, "There must be a permanent end to the Ukraine War." He noted that President Trump was motivated to act quickly and that negotiations regarding regional and security guarantees would take place.
“AT SOME POINT, THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL ALSO BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS”
Rubio emphasized that having a 'never-ending war' in Europe was unacceptable for Trump, stating, "Today's meeting was the first and a difficult step in a long process. We are not sidelining anyone. At some point, the European Union will also be involved in the process."
LAVROV RESPONDS TO RUBIO'S "EU" REMARK
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov objected to Rubio's mention of the "European Union." After the summit, Lavrov held a press conference, stating, "We will never allow NATO forces to be deployed to Ukraine under the EU flag."
“AFTER PUTIN'S STATEMENTS, THE U.S. STARTED TO UNDERSTAND US”
Lavrov stated: "The U.S. started to understand us after Putin's statements. Our conversation was beneficial and useful; we listened to each other. Even if the national interests of great powers differ, solutions must be sought for crises. Russia and the U.S. agreed that it is necessary to remove obstacles to mutually beneficial economic cooperation. We must resolve all issues that hinder the development of relations with the U.S. We want to develop our trade relations with the U.S.