Russia: US starts to better understand Moscow after talks in Riyadh
Russia says the United States has started to better understand Moscow’s position after the two sides moved toward agreeing to work together on ending the Ukraine conflict.
Washington and Moscow have agreed on four principles following talks that lasted more than four hours in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
After the talks at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that “the conversation was very useful.”
“We not only listened, but also heard each other.”
“I have reason to believe that the American side started to better understand our positions,” Lavrov said.
According to Lavrov, the Russian side told Washington that it opposed any NATO member sending troops to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire, whether under a national flag or that of the European Union.
“This is unacceptable to us, of course,” he said.
Lavrov added that the US side will announce who will represent Washington in the talks.
He said that “as soon as we know the name and position of the appropriate representative, we will, as President Putin told President Trump, immediately designate our participant in this process.”
The two sides also agreed to ensure the “prompt appointment” of ambassadors to each other’s countries, he said.
The Russian diplomat said the US side also expressed an interest in lifting sanctions on Moscow.
“There was strong interest in removing artificial barriers to the development of mutually beneficial economic cooperation.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Lavrov’s remarks, saying that the two sides agreed broadly to pursue three goals, including creating a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks.
Rubio said that the negotiations in Riyadh marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done down the road.
The meeting marked the most extensive contact between the two countries since Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022.
No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting though.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine reacted angrily to the meeting, saying that his country wouldn’t accept any outcome from the talks since Kiev did not participate.
Zelensky said he was postponing his own visit to Saudi Arabia scheduled for Wednesday.
It was important, he said, that negotiations do not happen “behind the backs of the key subjects.” Any decisions “cannot be imposed” on Kiev, he added.
Ukraine’s European allies have also expressed concerns that they are being sidelined.
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