Russia, US agree to work towards improving ties, ending Ukraine war

Russia and the US agreed to start working towards ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties, America's top diplomat said after talks that reflected an extraordinary about-face in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the two sides agreed broadly to pursue three goals: to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation.

He stressed, however, that the talks — which were also attended by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov — marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done down the road.

No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which came as the beleaguered country is slowly but steadily losing ground against more numerous Russian troops in a grinding war that began nearly three years ago.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country wouldn't accept any outcome from this week's talks if Kiev doesn't take part. European allies have also expressed concerns they are being sidelined.

Improving Russian-US relations

Ties between Russia and the US have fallen to their lowest level in decades during the war. Both embassies have been hit hard by expulsions of large numbers of diplomats over the course of several years, and the US, along with European nations, imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia.

The allies have repeatedly expanded the measures to damage Moscow's economy.

"Should this conflict come to an acceptable end, the incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians geopolitically on issues of common interest and frankly, economically on issues that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term," Rubio said.

His comments were further evidence of the remarkable US reversal on Russia after years in which Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, led international efforts to isolate Moscow.

Tuesday's meeting was meant to pave the way for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the talks wrapped, Putin’s foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, told Russia’s Channel One that no date has been set yet for that summit but that it was "unlikely" to take place next week.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lavrov said that in his view, "the conversation was very useful." He mentioned the same three goals as Rubio and said that Washington and Moscow agreed to appoint representatives to carry out "regular consultations" on Ukraine.

"We not only listened, but also heard each other," said Lavrov. "And I have reason to believe that the American side has started to better understand our position, which we have once again outlined in detail, using specific examples, based on President Putin’s repeated speeches."

The meeting marked the most extensive contact between the two countries since Moscow’s February 24, 2022, invasion. Lavrov and then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked briefly on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in India nearly two years ago, but tensions remained high.

Concerns from allies they are being sidelined

The recent US diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Ukraine and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that won't be favourable to them.

Kiev's absence at Tuesday's talks has rankled many Ukrainians, and France called an emergency meeting of European Union countries and the UK on Monday to discuss the war. Kiev's participation in such talks was a bedrock of US policy under Biden, whose administration also led international efforts to isolate Russia over the war.

Rubio said Tuesday that ending the conflict would require concessions from all sides and that Europe would be a part of talks.

In talking about sanctions against Russia, Rubio noted that the measures have come from the US's allies as well.

"The European Union is going to have to be at the table at some point because they have sanctions as well that have been imposed," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said he spoke by phone to Trump and Zelenskyy following Monday's European meeting.

"We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine," Macron wrote on social media platform X. “To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” he said and vowed to “work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians.”

Peskov on Tuesday said that Putin has repeatedly expressed readiness for peace talks, and noted that a durable settlement of the conflict in Ukraine would be impossible without “a comprehensive consideration of security issues” in Europe.

Saudi Arabia's role

The meeting at the Diriyah Palace in the Saudi capital of Riyadh also highlights Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's efforts to be a major diplomatic player.

Saudi state media described the talks as happening at the prince’s direction. Like the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, the prince has maintained close relations to Russia throughout its war on Ukraine, both through the OPEC+ oil cartel and diplomatically as well.

Saudi Arabia has also helped in prisoner negotiations and hosted Zelenskyy for an Arab League summit in 2023. Zelenskyy said he would travel to the kingdom later this week.

Rubio was accompanied by US national security adviser Mike Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff, while Lavrov sat next to Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and national security adviser Musaed al Alban joined Rubio, Lavrov and others for the start of the meeting.

War continues

Meanwhile, Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with drones, according to Kiev's military. The Ukrainian air force said Russian troops launched a barrage of 176 drones at Ukraine overnight, most of which were destroyed or disabled by jamming.

One Russian drone struck a residential building in Dolynska in the Kirovohrad region, wounding a mother and her two children and prompting an evacuation of 38 apartments, the regional administration reported. Four more residential buildings were damaged by drone debris in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine, according to local officials.