Senior diplomats from the United States and Russia will meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for discussions aimed at resetting their strained relations and exploring potential steps toward ending the war in Ukraine.
While both sides have downplayed expectations of a breakthrough, the meeting marks the highest-level engagement between the two nations since US President Donald Trump took office. The mere fact that such talks are happening has raised concerns in Ukraine and across Europe, particularly given Washington’s recent overtures toward Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that Kyiv was not invited to the discussions in Riyadh, a development that has fueled fears of backroom deals. Meanwhile, European leaders are gathering in Paris for emergency talks to coordinate their response to the shifting US stance on the war.
The possibility of a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to be on the agenda. Trump is pushing for a swift resolution to the three-year conflict, while Moscow views his outreach as an opportunity to secure concessions.
Zelensky expressed his frustration, stating, “We did not know anything about” the meeting and that Ukraine cannot recognise any things or any agreements without being present. He emphasised that any peace deal must include robust and reliable security guarantees—an idea backed by France and Britain but not universally accepted within Europe.
Russia has signaled that it wants to move beyond what it calls abnormal relations with the United States. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Tuesday’s talks will focus on restoring broader US-Russia ties, alongside discussions on Ukraine and the potential for a presidential summit between Putin and Trump.
Moscow, which has long sought to weaken NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe, insists that negotiations must cover a wide range of security issues, not just the Ukraine conflict. Before launching its invasion in February 2022, Putin demanded that NATO withdraw forces and military infrastructure from former Soviet-aligned states—demands that remain a point of contention.
Both Russia and the US have framed the meeting as an initial step in what could be a prolonged diplomatic process. Meanwhile, Russian diplomat Yuri Ushakov stated the talks would focus on how to start negotiations on Ukraine.
However, reaching any agreement remains highly uncertain. Both Kyiv and Moscow have ruled out territorial concessions, and Putin has even insisted that Ukraine should withdraw from additional areas.
Zelensky is set to travel to Turkey on Tuesday for discussions with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before heading to Saudi Arabia. However, his office has confirmed that he does not plan to meet with US or Russian officials during his visit.
The decision to hold these critical talks in Riyadh highlights Saudi Arabia’s renewed role on the world stage. Once a diplomatic outcast under the previous US administration, the kingdom has found itself back in favour with Trump’s return to power.
As Moscow arrives at the talks buoyed by recent battlefield gains, Ukraine faces mounting uncertainty, particularly over whether it will continue to receive critical US military aid—a policy Trump has long criticized. With Ukraine left out of these discussions, the path forward for the war remains as uncertain as ever.
