Update on February 17, 2025, at 3:33 pm EST: Russia confirmed on Monday that the talks will be held in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 18
Top Trump administration officials are set to travel to Saudi Arabia this week to hold talks with Russian officials to discuss bringing the war in Ukraine to an end, multiple media outlets reported on Sunday.
The delegation is expected to include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy.
Rubio spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in a phone call on Saturday, following up on President Trump’s recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The Secretary re-affirmed President Trump’s commitment to finding an end to the conflict in Ukraine. In addition, they discussed the opportunity to potentially work together on a number of other bilateral issues,” the State Department said in a readout of the Rubio-Lavrov call.
Ukrainian officials said they were not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview that aired Sunday that he will “never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine” if Ukrainian officials don’t participate in the negotiations.
While it’s still unclear how the war will end, the Trump administration’s policy toward Russia is a dramatic shift from the Biden administration. After Russia invaded Ukraine, President Biden refused to speak with Putin despite acknowledging the risk of nuclear was at its highest point at any time since the Cuban missile crisis.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also refused to engage in any meaningful diplomacy with Lavrov, holding only brief conversations with him about prisoner exchanges after the invasion.
"In addition, they discussed the opportunity to potentially work together on a number of other bilateral issues"
It looks, those "other bilateral issues" are more important for Russians than the negotiation about stopping the war in Ukraine. For Americans it is other way round. One thing is clear: the new American administration decided to reduce the risk of sliding into a direct war with Russia, and that is very good for all of us.
Of course Putin is not in a hurry to stop the war, he can't while Ukronazis are still rampaging inside Russia. Not unless he's willing to give them most of Dombas at the negotiating table in exchange for a small chunk of Kursk Oblast. Stalin, Zhukov, and Rokossovsky must all be spinning in their graves watching this gigantic debacle.
It is remarkable that Russian people know nothing about this debacle. Putin's rating at the moment is much higher than his average of the last 25 years.
For once I agree with you Mikhailovich, it is indeed remarkable that Putin's ratings are so high after he bungled the war so catastrophically.
I would like to curb the enthusiasm a bit my brother by suggesting sprinkling around the words, "SOME INDIVIDUALS IN, MAY HAVE, and COULD BE."
Ok…?
On the famous fone with Putin the Donald was all over the field, saying very nice progressive things, –the candy-stick method to elicit favorable sensation from Putin. The hard germane issue is the surrender of NATO, so Trump tries on the happy-talk for diversion. Lavrov and Rubio will meet on Wednsday to hammer out the agenda; and Lavrov will limit it to one topic: scripting the surrender.
This is a hammer, this is a nail…Somewhat boring and repetitive, yet we can build a house!
I have to agree with Zelensky on this one. Ukraine should be at any table that their future is being discussed. I can't imagine Russia or the US being willing to do any such thing so why should they expect Ukraine to?
If only presidents must attend this upcoming meeting there’s no legal representative from Ukraine…!
The Ukrainian regime has been very weak in its statements, more or less just demanding “a seat at the table.” There are reasons for that. To the extent that Zelenskyy is a US/EU/NATO imperial satrap, it’s hard for him to really speak with much authority.
But at this point he should probably just roll the dice and make a very clear statement that Ukraine will not be bound by any deal that Ukraine isn’t the negotiator of.
being a western satrap at least guarantees you freedom
Thats a contradiction in terms.
nuh uhh
Ukraine wouldn't be in this war otherwise.
You must be young and still idealistic.
i am not idealistic
i am not idealistic
"being a western satrap at least guarantees you freedom"
'less your foot gets caught in satrap.
Why would it even matter, it is the reality.
Zelensky "should probably[now] make a very clear statement that Ukraine will not be bound by any deal that Ukraine isn't the negotiator of."
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Way stronger than "he will 'never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine' if Ukrainian officials don’t participate in the negotiations"!
That will show them!
USA and Russia think they have a deal? From now on, they better watch their backs!
Hilarity is bound to happen when a comedian is installed president.
"Hilarity is bound to happen when a comedian is installed president."
"Hilarity"? Laugh at your peril.
You speak of Zelensky – a comedian…but with a beard.
Facial hair that spells deadly hilarity…deadly.
Oh, c'mon, he was a goofus even before the beard. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/47316d5483350b66da5be2924b2db391e4f49f1b2072d1793cfdd11739c9efc1.jpg
This is fundamentally a war between Ukrainian nationalists and Russian imperialists with the US and NATO supporting the Ukrainians who will continue to fight the Russians even if Zelensky accepts a Trump-Putin deal ceding the Donbas to Russia. This is fundamentally an asymmetric war of national resistance that has taken on the appearance of a conventional war of attrition because of the massive amount of aid the US and NATO have given to the Ukrainian military. But even if the Western aid stopped and the Ukrainian army collapsed and Zelensky signed on to a deal, Russia will never pacify any part of Ukraine outside of Crimea because the national resistance would continue. For Ukrainians this war is the culmination of 800 years of struggle for a national identity and independence from Muscovy , Russia, the Soviet Union and now Putin's autocracy,
But Zelensky is not the elected head of state, who is the authority to sign any legal document?
moved to another place.
The war was between US and Russia using Ukraine as the goon squad. Pity the clueless grunts, but Zelensky & Co, the Crooks in Chief, knew the score.
Phoning Putin for a longer call, first? Casually saying NATO-izing isn't a good idea, and siding w/Russia because 'they wouldn't like it next door'? Jetting to meet with Putin while a guest in Saudi Arabia…which Z. likely learned about only when he opened the paper?
From one pov, it's a giant f.u. to Democrats and co. – their narrative, their strident Zelensky-centric moralizing.
From another? The public humiliation of Z. makes ya' reel.
You almost feel sorry for him.
He made enough money to heal his wounds, but he may not survive to enjoy it.
This is Trump's opening move in his grand scheme to build detente with Russia in order to isolate China, to prevent China from becoming the main broker negotiating a Ukrainian peace agreement and to undermine BRICS. Will Putin take the bait? Putin has to be disappointed by China's lack of support for his Ukrainian aggression. At the UN China votes against sanctions but China has never voted with Russia on any of the resolutions condemning the Russian invasion. China has abstained on those and even voted for a UN resolution opposed by Russia that recognized ""the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine." https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/05/02/china-and-india-vote-for-un-resolution-with-a-reference-to-russias-aggression-against-ukra
More importantly,China forced Putin to turn to North Korea and Iran for weapons and now manpower because China has refused to get involved in Putin's war. China has consistently emphasized that the first point of its peace proposal for Ukraine is respect for territorial integrity and self determination. That can't sit well with Putin and Trump knows it. In Trump's mind Trump and Putin have more in common than Putin and Xi.
Trump agrees with the NeoCons that China is the USA's main enemy, not Russia. For Trump isolating China is much more important than hurting Russia. Will Putin go along? Before 2014 Putin wanted to join NATO and was part of the US-led anti-China global project until Russia got kicked out of the G8 after Putin annexed Crimea. Only then did Putin reorient toward China, BRICS and the Global South. Putin's priority has always been to restore the Russian/Soviet sphere of influence and to make Russia a great superpower again, especially in Eur-Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Trump believes Putin's project could play into Trump's grand design to bring down China and possibly flip BRICS into part of a revitalized US dominated world order.
The stakes are high for Trump. High enough to risk US/NATO relations and to consider dumping Ukraine. The next move is Putin's.
“Putin has to be disappointed by China’s lack of support for his Ukrainian aggression.”
Everything comes with a cost.
The price of significant Chinese support for Russia in a military conflict would have entailed Russia becoming a de facto Chinese imperial satrapy sooner than that could otherwise be expected to happen.
Presumably Putin preferred the costs of the war in the Ukraine to the price he’d have had to pay China to e.g. push Ukraine out from under its nuclear umbrella.
The "nuclear umbrella" misstatement was the characterization of an over enthusiastic reporter writing for Global News. China has repeatedly walked back from the nuclear umbrella. China does not give nuclear umbrellas to anyone, except possibly North Korea.
In fact, China won't even use nukes to defend China unless it is attacked with nukes. And China stores its warheads separate from its missiles and bombers to make it clear to powers with spy satellites that China eschews any first strike.
Russia has been at war every year since Putin came to power. Since 1979 China's biggest military conflict has been with India where the PLA and the Indian Rangers periodically throw rocks and snowballs at each other on their disputed border.
Of course Ukraine isn't there
Russia won, no matter what the US rulers think. Putin has the aces, the EU and NATO are imploding the result of really bizarre USA/NATO politics. We can only hope that Putin and the Russian people are not vindictive, and do not humiliate the losers as the US is known to do.
Biden, the US loser botched the retreat from Afghanistan and immediately sanctioned the nation and confiscated the nations monetary funds, preventing them to get food for the traumatized and starving people. Biden is a vindictive and vile man.
russia has not won
With all due respect, who did win?
In war, even the winners lose, all the young lives lost for ever. Gaza is proof, what can the Israelis really win? They are now a pariah nation and Gaza is rubble, it will take decades to remove the rubble and many years to rebuild, the lost lives and culture will never come back, what a waste and what for? The same is true for Ukraine and the Russians did not aim to destroy the nation. And Ukraine could have been neutral and prosper. There will be no NATO left to join either, Europe will take decades to recover too, and what for?
Leader "Poodles" 3-Day Special Needs Operation has turned into a 1060 day slog for some fields, but Pooty is still dedicated to convincing gullible Russians he's winning
With the shake up of nato and European security, there's an option for peace nobody seems to mention. Russia was a great ally in ww2 and could be again, with America removed from Europe. America has worked tirelessly to create the boogeyman called putin, yet, in stark contrast to trump, he seems capable of decisiveness. Trump and his fascist party of oligarchs are completely unpredictable and dedicated to destabilizing Europe, n America, Scandinavia, well, actually the world. Imagine if European leaders actually negotiated a peace deal with russia? You say putin can't be trusted, but who trusts trump? Seriously, him and his administration are looking to control the world and he is completely unstable. Putin may want strategic parts of Ukraine, but they don't want the world or even Europe. I think russia would love to sell energy to Europe and normalize relations, America has done nothing but cause problems in international relations, Europe should tell trump to f.off, Canada ,Mexico, Panama and Greenland too. If the world shunned America, we'd be better off.
I totally agree. The UK/USA oppose any cooperation of Russia and Germany, that is why the US president Biden blew up the pipeline. It was a big struggle to build the first LG pipeline, the USA OPPOSED IT. But the German government had the backbones to fight for it. When Germany and Russia work together there will be peace.
The present German government is corrupt and treasonous serving USA, interests, that is why it must go. But again the US is actively influencing the election again, add the pipeline sabotage and know who the enemy really is, it is NOT Russia.
i hope you dont believe what you type
I do believe every word I typed.
i envy you
I don't have to agree with you to respect your opinion.
I hope Putin will walk into Brussels and save democracy in Europe
Is this the end of Zelenski…?! Coup d'état Numero Dos…!
It is fine that Ukraine is not invited. That is what PRELIMINARY negotiators do. I want the deaths on both sides to stop.
This is Trump's opening move in his grand scheme to build detente with Russia in order to isolate China, to prevent China from becoming the main broker negotiating a Ukrainian peace agreement and to undermine BRICS. Will Putin take the bait? Putin has to be disappointed by China's lack of support for his Ukrainian aggression. At the UN China votes against sanctions but China has never voted with Russia on any of the resolutions condemning the Russian invasion. China has abstained on those and even voted for a UN resolution opposed by Russia that recognized ""the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine." https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/05/02/china-and-india-vote-for-un-resolution-with-a-reference-to-russias-aggression-against-ukra
More importantly,China forced Putin to turn to North Korea and Iran for weapons and now manpower because China has refused to get involved in Putin's war. China has consistently emphasized that the first point of its peace proposal for Ukraine is respect for territorial integrity and self determination. That can't sit well with Putin and Trump knows it. In Trump's mind Trump and Putin have more in common than Putin and Xi.
Trump agrees with the NeoCons that China is the USA's main enemy, not Russia. For Trump isolating China is much more important than hurting Russia. Will Putin go along? Before 2014 Putin wanted to join NATO and was part of the US-led anti-China global project until Russia got kicked out of the G8 after Putin annexed Crimea. Only then did Putin reorient toward China, BRICS and the Global South. Putin's priority has always been to restore the Russian/Soviet sphere of influence and to make Russia a great superpower again, especially in EurAsia. Trump believes Putin's project could play into Trump's grand design to bring down China and possibly flip BRICS into part of a revitalized US dominated world order.
The stakes are high for Trump. High enough to risk US/NATO relations and to consider dumping Ukraine. The next move is Putin's.
“To a hammer, everything looks like a nail”…
Yet, together, we can build a home and a homeland!…
"Ukrainian officials said they were not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia…
…but that President Zelensky had been invited to participate in spirit from the Kiev Presidential Building doghouse.
Leader "Poodles" 3-Day Special Needs Operation has turned into a 1060 day slog for some fields, but Pooty is still dedicated to convincing gullible Russians he's winning
I believe the initial talks will certify that the four Oblasts and Crimea are Russian, that Ukraine will become a neutral European state, that Ukraine will never become part of NATO. These three elements are non-negotiable prerequisites to any discussion of a settlement. Their acceptance is a given without which no talks will occur.
I submit the talks will prioritize coverage of the security of the Russia-European landscape, the possibility of return to previously abandoned treaties re nuclear forces and strength, and other global issues of concern to the two nuclear states (and by inference, China).
I see no role for Ukraine or the EU for that matter, at these initial talks between Trump and Putin.
Talks which concern the EU and Ukraine will likely occur after these meetings, as they concern details relative to Russia and Ukraine, as well as the EU.
If matters do not proceed in this order, nothing will be accomplished. In this vein, Putin is right about the proper order and manner by which the war can be ended.
We in the west caused this war and the Europeans contributed to its length and catastrophic result. The Russians are correct that it is the west which engineered the circumstances under which hostilities both began and continued. This is the truth, whether our political classes want to acknowledge it or not.