By Sama Marwan,
The U.S. State Department announced on Tuesday that talks between American and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia resulted in an “agreement to establish a consultation mechanism to address sources of tension” in relations between the two countries. The discussions also focused on ending the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible.”
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov “agreed to push for peace in Ukraine,” emphasizing that these efforts are still in their “early stages.”
The two ministers also agreed on future cooperation regarding geopolitical issues and economic and investment opportunities that could arise from the end of the conflict in Ukraine.
Following the meeting, Rubio said that an agreement was reached with the Russian side in Riyadh based on four principles. The next step will be restoring the diplomatic missions of both countries in the United States and Russia.
Regarding the Ukraine conflict, Rubio stated, “Today marks the beginning of a difficult journey, and President Trump is committed to ending the war in Ukraine.” He stressed the necessity of all parties involved in the conflict agreeing on a resolution, adding, “The goal is clear: to achieve a just, lasting, and sustainable end to the war.”
For his part, Lavrov stated that both sides agreed to establish a process for resolving the conflict in Ukraine and removing obstacles to diplomatic missions.
He described the talks as “constructive,” noting that the Russian and U.S. delegations “listened to each other and agreed to create conditions for fully restoring cooperation between the two countries.”
Kremlin diplomatic advisor Yuri Ushakov said the talks “went well” but added that a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “will not happen next week.”
According to Russian media, Ushakov stated that the conditions for such a meeting were discussed during the Saudi talks, and overall, the discussions were “serious on all levels.”
Russia’s TASS news agency reported that the talks lasted approximately four and a half hours.
The U.S. delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
The Russian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin diplomatic advisor Ushakov.
On Sunday, Trump had hinted that he could meet with Putin “very soon” to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump and Putin spoke for over an hour on Wednesday, marking the first known direct conversation between a U.S. and Russian president since Putin’s call with former President Joe Biden shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Trump stated that he and Putin agreed during the call to begin negotiations “immediately” regarding the war in Ukraine.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian presidency asserted that achieving a “long-term settlement” for the war in Ukraine would be “impossible” without addressing “broader security issues in Europe.”
