Senior diplomats from the US and Russia are holding talks in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, to restore ties and end the war in Ukraine, reported Al-Arabiya News.
High-level Talks
The talks kicked off on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at Diriyah Palace north of Riyadh, with the attendance of the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and the Saudi Minister of State, Musaid Al-Aiban, are also attending the talks.
🎥 | #SaudiArabia is hosting talks between the #US and #Russia within the framework of its efforts to enhance security and peace in the world#AlEkhbariyaEN
pic.twitter.com/caT1qyyij1— AlEkhbariya News (@alekhbariyaEN) February 18, 2025
Saudi Arabia is hosting high-level US-Russia talks, upon the directives of the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to promote international peace and security, according to a statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
An Expected Trump-Putin Summit
The meetings in Riyadh aim to set the stage for a historic summit between the US President, Donald Trump, and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in an effort to improve ties and resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
On Monday, US and Russian senior diplomats arrived in Riyadh. Rubio leads the US delegation, which includes the US National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, and the US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
Meanwhile, Lavrov heads Russia’s delegation, which involves Russia’ top foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov, and the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev.
In a separate development, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he would arrive in Riyadh on Wednesday, in a pre-planned official visit. Zelenskky said his visit was not linked to the US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi-US Ties
The US Secretary of State met with the Saudi Crown Prince on Monday. During their meeting, they reviewed Saudi-US relations and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation across various sectors. Moreover, they discussed the latest regional and international developments and efforts made to achieve security and peace, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Rubio also met with the Saudi Foreign Minister. Both officials reviewed bilateral ties and explored ways to further strengthen them. They also discussed the latest developments in the region and across the world.
