U.S. and Russia to explore closer cooperation after Ukraine talks in Riyadh
Top US and Russian officials have agreed to continue planning an end to the Ukraine war and to pursue closer cooperation amid concerns in Kyiv and across Europe that Donald Trump could push for a settlement favouring Vladimir Putin.
After the talks at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, the most extensive negotiations between the two countries in three years, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the two sides had agreed to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks and to explore “economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine”.
The statements highlighted a tectonic shift in Washington’s approach to Russia, dramatically moving away from the Biden administration’s efforts to isolate Moscow.
Rubio said an end to the Ukraine conflict must be acceptable to all involved, including Ukraine, Europe and Russia, adding that its European allies were consulted on Ukraine. No Ukrainian or even European officials were present at the meeting.
The talks in the Saudi capital underscored the rapid pace of US efforts to halt the conflict, raising alarm in Kyiv and across Europe, where officials met on Monday to discuss the possibility of sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. [Continue reading…]