U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban, the Russian president’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend a meeting together at Riyadh’s Diriyah Palace on February 18, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Afp | Getty Images
Russian and U.S. officials are holding their first formal meeting in years on Tuesday, as they meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss the foundation for talks on how to end the war in Ukraine.
The meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which began earlier Tuesday morning, marks the first formal sit-down meeting between top U.S. and Russian diplomats since January 2022, when then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Lavrov met in Geneva just weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine.
U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz are taking part in the meeting while Lavrov is accompanied by Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov, according to Russian state media. There are no plans for a private meeting between Rubio and Lavrov.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (C) and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov (2nd L) arrive for a meeting between Russia and the United States aimed at improving relations between the two nations and addressing the conflict in Ukraine, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 18 February 2025.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
The high-profile meeting comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week that he and Russian President Putin had agreed to start negotiations to end the three-year war in Ukraine.
Both sides appear to be playing down the potential outcome of this first meeting. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Monday that the Riyadh meeting was designed to “determine if the Russians perhaps are serious, and if they’re on the same page.”
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the meeting was to discuss restoring bilateral relations and “preparations for potential Ukraine peace talks” as well as a forthcoming meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to comments translated by NBC News.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio (L) meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (R) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17, 2025.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, is also a part of the Russian delegation in Riyadh with his presence signalling that Moscow is keen to emphasize the economic benefits of restoring ties.
Speaking to Russian media outlets Tuesday, Dmitriev estimates that “U.S. businesses lost around $300 billion from leaving Russia. So there is huge economic toll on many countries from you know what’s happening right now, and we believe as a way forward is through solutions,” he said, according to a news agency Interfax report.
Ukraine and Europe frozen out
Officials from Ukraine will not be present at the talks in Riyadh, Kyiv said, and European allies also remain frozen out of the discussions for now.
Kyiv’s leadership has warned that it will not agree to any peace deal that goes against its interests, while European leaders warned at the Munich Security Conference last weekend that any agreement made without its involvement would not work.
European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday where they agreed on the need to sharply increase defense spending but could not agree on whether to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as part of a post-war plan.
The U.K. has said it is willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine but said the U.S. would need to provide a “backstop” to support the deployment, while Denmark and France signaled a willingness to consider sending troops to the country.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a meeting on security issues in Europe at the Elysée Palace on Feb. 17, 2025, in Paris.
Tom Nicholson | Getty Images
Other nations, including some of Ukraine’s biggest backers, Poland and Germany, are wary, however. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was openly critical of the idea, calling it “completely premature” and “highly inappropriate” while the leaders of Italy, Spain and Norway appeared to be more cynical about the idea.
Anxious to remain close to President Trump, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to meet the president next week, while French President Emmanuel Macron said he’d spoken to Trump and Zelenskyy after the emergency summit.
“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians. Otherwise, there is a risk that this ceasefire will end up like the Minsk agreements. We will work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians. This is the key,” Macron said on social media platform X.
