U.S.-Russia talks concluded with four points of consensus

 Direct translation

US-Russia talks concluded with four points of consensus

Reporter : Zhang Ting / Editor : Li Tianqi / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/2/18/n14440103.htm / Image : On 18 February 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio and others held talks with the Russian team in Saudi Arabia on the Russia-Ukraine war. (Evelyn Hockstein/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

On Tuesday (18 February 2025), the U.S. and Russian teams held a highly anticipated meeting in Saudi Arabia. The US State Department said after the meeting that the talks "took an important step forward" and that the two sides reached four points of consensus. Russian negotiators said discussions with the United States on Ukraine were positive but the meeting has not yet set a time for the meeting between US President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The U.S. team participating in the talks mainly includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff; the Russian team mainly includes Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, President Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund.

The United States: An important step forward

In a summary of the talks, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the United States wants to stop the killing and is using its global power to bring nations together.

She said President Trump is the only leader in the world who can make Ukraine and Russia agree on this.

Bruce added that during the US-Russia talks, officials from both countries reached the following consensus:

— Establish a consultative mechanism to address factors affecting U.S.-Russia bilateral relations, with the goal of taking necessary measures to normalize the operation of the two countries’ respective diplomatic missions.

— Appoint their respective high-level teams to begin working to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible in a lasting, sustainable and acceptable way to all parties.

— Paving the way for future cooperation on issues of “common geopolitical interests” and the historic economic and investment opportunities presented by a successful end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

— The parties meeting today committed to remain engaged to ensure that this process moves forward in a timely and productive manner.

Regarding Trump's phone call with Putin last week and the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Bruce said, "One phone call and one meeting are not enough to build a lasting peace. We must take action, and today we took an important step forward."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the talks that the United States and Russia reached a consensus to remove obstacles to the two countries' diplomatic missions and agreed to appoint special envoys as soon as possible. He said both sides were also interested in removing barriers to economic cooperation.

No date set for Trump-Putin meeting

According to the BBC, the US State Department told reporters that the talks between US and Russian representatives in Riyadh lasted more than four hours, including a working lunch.

Putin's foreign policy adviser, Ushakov, told Russian state-controlled television channel Channel One that no date has been set for the meeting between Putin and President Trump.

He said it was "unlikely" that the meeting between Trump and President Donald Trump would take place next week.

"The two delegations need to work closely together. We are prepared for this, but it is difficult to determine the specific date for the meeting between the two leaders now," he said.

Dmitriev, a member of the Russian negotiating team, told CNN that the talks between the two countries on Tuesday were "positive."

Dmitriev told Reuters it was too early to talk about a compromise, but the two sides had begun to listen to each other, respect each other and treat each other as equals.

The Russian negotiator also said U.S. and Russian officials had held separate discussions on future economic cooperation, including global energy prices.

US security adviser: Trump cannot accept endless war in Europe

U.S. National Security Advisor and U.S. negotiator Waltz said that President Trump has decided to quickly start negotiations on a potential peace agreement with Ukraine, and will also negotiate on territorial and security issues.

Waltz said after meeting with Russian officials in Riyadh that Trump could not accept endless war in Europe. He also said that the United States is consulting with its allies on the Ukraine issue and no one is excluded. He stressed that the United States is pleased to see that Europe is discussing making a stronger contribution to Ukraine's security.

The first step in a long and difficult journey

U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said everyone involved in the conflict in Ukraine must accept a solution that ends it.

He said the meeting with Russian officials in Riyadh was the first step in a long and difficult journey to achieve a fair and lasting end to the war in Ukraine.

Rubio again downplayed concerns that the European Union was being excluded from Ukraine peace talks. He said the EU needed to be involved at some point and no one should be left out.

Russian negotiator Dmitriev told CNN that the talks between Russia and the United States were a "huge achievement" after years of hostility.

The pick-up in U.S.-Russia relations "is starting from a very low base," he said after concluding talks in Riyadh. He said Tuesday's talks were "mutually respectful" and that the two sides aimed to "understand each other's positions."

"This is already a huge achievement," he said, adding that although "the road ahead is difficult," the two countries "have begun to dialogue in a positive and professional way."

Zelenskyy: War cannot be ended without Ukraine's participation in negotiations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Türkiye on Tuesday. He told a news conference in Ankara that he was surprised that Ukraine was not invited to the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia. He said he wants the war to end, "but we want it to end in a fair way, without anyone deciding anything behind our backs."

"You cannot make a decision on how to end the war in Ukraine under any conditions without Ukraine (being involved)," he stressed.

Regarding Ukraine's concerns, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio made it clear in an interview with the CBS program "Face the Nation" last Sunday (16 February) that the negotiation process has not really begun yet. If the negotiations really begin, Ukraine will "have to participate" in them because they are the invaded party; European countries will also be involved because they have imposed sanctions on both Putin and Russia. “We’re just not there yet,” he said.