18.02.2025 11:11
Saudi Arabia is hosting a historic summit today. The Ukraine talks, which bring together senior officials from Russia and the United States for the first time in many years, have begun in the capital, Riyadh. No country from Europe was invited to the peace talks attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, is hosting a historic summit today. After a long time, the United States and Russia are sitting at the same table to discuss the Ukraine war.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have come together to discuss the course of the war in Ukraine. Rubio, who visited Israel the day before, is now in Saudi Arabia discussing bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine with his Russian counterpart. European leaders, excluded from the talks, gathered in Paris yesterday in response to this meeting and shared their views on a possible peace in the Russia-Ukraine War.
TRUMP-PUTIN MEETING INITIATED A NEW PROCESS
U.S. President Donald Trump surprised them by announcing last week that he had a phone call with Putin without consulting NATO and European allies regarding Ukraine, and that he would initiate a peace process.
In response, Trump's representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, suggested that Ukraine and other European leaders would have no place in the peace talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yesterday.
The meeting addressed the issues in the Gaza Strip and the U.S. plans.
U.S. SECRETARY'S TOUR OF THE MIDDLE EAST
U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to exile Palestinians in Gaza to Arab countries and "take over" Gaza received significant backlash from Arab nations.
Following Trump's statement, Rubio began his Middle East visit to hold discussions.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated, "The Secretary emphasized the importance of establishing a framework that would also contribute to regional security in Gaza."
Bruce mentioned that Rubio and Salman expressed their determination to maintain the ceasefire signed last month between Israel and Hamas, and they addressed issues concerning Syria, Lebanon, and the Red Sea.
According to a statement made today by Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, reported by Interfax news agency, Russia hopes to hear Moscow's position during the U.S.-Saudi discussions regarding Ukraine.
Dmitriev, a former Goldman Sachs banker educated in the U.S., played a role in the initial contacts between Moscow and Washington during Trump's first presidential term from 2016 to 2020.