Without the participation of Ukraine and its European supporters, the chief diplomats of the United States and Russia today conduct direct negotiations in Saudi Arabia. Russia’s attack war against Ukraine is likely to dominate the first meeting of the new US Foreign Minister Marco Rubio with his experienced Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. While Rubio is accompanied by the US specialist Steve Witkoff and the national security advisor Mike Waltz, Lavrow traveled with Juri Uschakow – the foreign policy consultant of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
“The main thing is to achieve a real normalization of relationships between us and Washington,” Uschakow told Russian state television when arriving at Riyadh Airport. He did not want to comment on the negotiation positions. According to Kremlin, the talks are also about preparing a possible meeting of Putin with US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia. Rubios Tross arrived in the golf state before the Russian delegation.
The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj is also planning a trip to Saudi Arabia these days. However, he was not taught in advance about the Americans’ meeting with the Russians and he would not take part, he said when he visited the United Arab Emirates. He would not recognize any agreements that would be achieved in “Negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine”, said Selenskyj, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, emphasized at a press conference in Abu Dhabi. Russia and the United States could of course discuss bilateral problems.
Neuling Rubio meets veteran Lawrow
The attack war against Ukraine, ordered by Putin in February 2022, has led to a deep break between the United States and Russia. In the first three years of the war, the United States under President Joe Biden were the most important supporter and arms supplier of Ukraine. His successor Donald Trump, who was sworn in in January, heralded a drastic change of course. Last week he called Putin and spoke to him after an official presentation about a possible end of the war. Rubio and Lawrow also phoned afterwards.
Rubio voted in the US Senate against a billion dollar aid package to support Ukraine last year. He is far less profiled than Lavrow, who has been a minister on the world stage for more than 20 years and began his diplomatic career as early as the 1970s.
Rubio recently said about Trump that he was a “businessman who has to do with politics, no politician”. Also because of this approach, it is afraid in Kiev that Trump’s government wants to enforce a peace for the United States that are completely unacceptable for Ukraine. Russia, including the Black Sea Peninsula Crimea, which was already annexed in 2014, is already checking almost a fifth of the Ukrainian state area.
The Ukrainian ambassador in Germany, Oleksii Makeieev, confirmed Kiev’s position that agreements between the United States and Russia would never be accepted across Ukraine’s head. “Because peace is not a deal; peace has to be fought and then defended,” we said in a podcast of the magazine “Politico”. Makeieev advocated a stronger European military, an expansion of armaments production and a uniform negotiating position in Ukraine and its western allies. “We don’t need an intermediary, we need allies,” said the Ukrainian ambassador.
No decisions at crisis peaks in Paris
Under the impression of the abrupt change of course of the new US government, some European heads of state and government as well as the leaders from EU and NATO had talks in Paris on Monday at the invitation of France President Emmanuel Macron. The crisis summit was overshadowed by disagreements about the possible posting of peace troops to secure any peace agreement between Kiev and Moscow. Decisions were not made in the informal discussions.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the discussion about peace troops as irritating and completely premature. He criticized that the heads of the Ukrainians were talked about about possible results of peace talks that have not yet taken place. “This is extremely inappropriate to say it very openly and honestly,” said Scholz. It is an “inappropriate debate on the wrong time and on the wrong topic”.
He stood against the British Prime Minister Keir Strander and host Macron, among other things. Shortly before the meeting in Paris, Strander had been ready to send soldiers to Ukraine if necessary. France is also said to have expressed the willingness to send troops a long time ago. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said after the meeting that details would still have to be decided. However, Europe is “ready and willing” to take on a leadership role in providing security guarantees for Ukraine and “much more” invest in one’s own security.
Macron then called Selenskyj. “We have a common perspective: there must be reliable, strong security guarantees,” wrote Selenskyj afterwards at Telegram. Other solutions without guarantees, such as a fragile ceasefire, would only be the prelude to a new Russian war against Ukraine and other states in Europe.
US special envoy Kellogg travels to Ukraine
Selenskyj also confirmed that the US special envoy Keith Kellogg is expected in Ukraine on Thursday. During his three -day stay, he will have talks primarily with military and commander -in -chief Olexander Syrskyj. He hoped that Kellogg will take an understanding of the security guarantees required by Kiev back to Washington, says Selenskyj. “I think after returning to the USA we will understand when there will be a meeting of me and President Trump.”
