The United States and Russia agreed on Tuesday to work towards ending the war in Ukraine and improving bilateral relations, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cancelled his planned Saudi visit and voiced concerns over being excluded from the talks.
The meeting in Riyadh followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on February 17 and a February 12 phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine pushback
“We are completely honest and open. That’s why I don’t want any ‘coincidences.’ That’s why I won’t go to Saudi Arabia,” Zelenskyy told reporters at a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, according to Turkish Presidency via AP.
Zelenskyy said that peace talks shouldn’t take place “behind the backs” of involved parties and called for concrete security guarantees from “the whole of Europe, including Turkey, the US and the European Union.”
“President Trump wants to stop the killing; the United States wants peace and is using its strength in the world to bring countries together,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in an official statement, adding that “President Trump is the only leader in the world who can get Ukraine and Russia to agree to that.”
The US-Russia agreement includes three key points, according to the State Department readout: establishing a consultation mechanism to normalise diplomatic missions, appointing high-level teams to work on ending the war in Ukraine, and laying the groundwork for future cooperation on mutual interests.
President Erdogan, speaking alongside Zelenskyy in Ankara, supported the US diplomatic initiative.
“There is a diplomatic initiative led by Mr. Trump aimed at ending the war swiftly through negotiations. This approach aligns with the policy Turkey has been pursuing for the past three years,” he said, offering Turkey as an “ideal host” for future peace talks.
French President Emmanuel Macron took to X (formerly Twitter) to outline Europe’s position after speaking with both Trump and Zelenskyy.
“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” Macron wrote, warning that “there is a risk that this ceasefire will end up like the Minsk agreements.”
The French leader emphasized European unity and defense capabilities, stating that “Europeans must invest better, more, and together in their security and defense—both for today and for the future.” He pledged to continue discussions in the coming days, calling for “Decisions, actions, coherence. Quickly.”
Prior to the Russia talks, Rubio met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, highlighting the 80th anniversary of the historic 1945 Roosevelt-Abdulaziz meeting. The State Department thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting the subsequent Russia talks under the Crown Prince’s leadership.
The meetings at Riyadh’s Diriyah Palace included US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Special Envoy Ambassador Steve Witkoff, alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov.
“The conversation was very useful,” Lavrov told reporters, according to the Associated Press. “We not only listened, but also heard each other.”
Despite diplomatic efforts, Ukraine’s military reported that Russian forces launched 176 drones overnight, with most being destroyed or disabled. One Russian drone struck a residential building in Dolynska, wounding a mother and her two children and prompting an evacuation of 38 apartments, according to AP reporting.
“One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace,” the State Department noted. “We must take action, and today we took an important step forward.”
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