Today (February 17), the Kremlin confirmed that Russian and US officials will meet in Saudi Arabia on February 18 to discuss restoring bilateral relations and pave the way for a summit between President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Donald Trump.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov will meet with US officials in Saudi Arabia.
At a press conference in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, President Putin's foreign policy adviser, will travel to Riyadh to prepare for a meeting of senior Russian-US officials scheduled for February 18, according to TASS.
Reuters quoted a source as saying that members of the US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
The meeting is mainly focused on efforts to restore bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington. At the same time, the two sides are also expected to discuss issues that could lead to negotiations to find a solution to end the conflict in Ukraine.
In addition, Russian and US officials will discuss preparations for the summit between President Putin and his counterpart Trump, according to Kremlin spokesman Peskov.
Before boarding a plane to Saudi Arabia, the Russian Foreign Minister said that Europe had several opportunities to join peace talks on Ukraine, but missed them because it wanted the conflict to continue, AFP reported.
Mr. Lavrov questioned the role of Europe at the upcoming negotiating table, and "if Europe wants to continue the war in Ukraine, why is it necessary to invite them to participate in the negotiations," Reuters reported.
That is why Russia does not want the European Union (EU) to be present in the upcoming peace talks, according to Mr. Lavrov.
In a related development, Keith Kellogg, President Trump’s Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine, will visit Poland on February 18 and meet with the host country’s President Andrzej Duda. The meeting comes as the Washington administration begins moves to initiate negotiations on Ukraine.
President Zelensky also arrived in the region. The Ukrainian leader has been in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since February 16 and is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia on February 19. Zelensky said he had no plans to meet with either the US or Russian delegations, and Kyiv was not invited to the meeting organized by Riyadh.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ngoai-truong-nga-my-hop-ban-khoi-phuc-quan-he-mo-duong-cho-cuoc-gap-hai-tong-thong-1852502171721045.htm
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