U.S. and Russian officials met in Riyadh on Tuesday for their first talks on ending the ongoing war in Ukraine, as Kyiv and European allies anxiously observed the discussions. The meeting, which took place less than a month after President Donald Trump assumed office, and just six days after his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, underscores the rapid pace of U.S. efforts to halt the conflict.
Sources within Ukraine and European governments, however, are concerned that Trump may hastily broker a deal with Moscow that ignores Ukraine’s security interests, potentially rewarding Russia for its invasion and leaving it free to continue threatening Ukraine and other nations. Critics have pointed out that Trump’s administration, by ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine and suggesting that Kyiv’s goal of reclaiming all lost territory is unrealistic, has already made significant concessions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reiterated that no peace deal should be made without Ukraine’s involvement, saying, “We, as a sovereign country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us.”
The Riyadh meeting saw U.S. officials—Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff—sit across from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov. Despite the media presence, officials refused to answer questions about whether the U.S. was sidelining Ukraine or what concessions were being made to Russia.
The Kremlin noted that the Riyadh talks could pave the way for a meeting between Trump and Putin, which both leaders have expressed interest in holding. The focus of the meeting was to gauge Moscow’s seriousness about ending the conflict, following Putin’s repeated statements of readiness for peace talks.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has resulted in Moscow controlling about a fifth of Ukrainian territory. In the lead-up to the meeting, Trump had campaigned on a promise to end the conflict swiftly, though his administration now acknowledges that a resolution may take months. Trump has described the war as “ridiculous” and warned that it is “destroying” Russia. As Russian troops have made significant advances recently, Moscow’s confidence has grown, aided by the thawing of relations with the West since Trump’s election.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials presented Tuesday’s talks as an initial effort to determine if Moscow is truly committed to ending the war. The Kremlin, however, emphasized that any peace agreement would have to address concerns about the legitimacy of Zelenskiy’s government, which has remained in power beyond the end of its normal term due to martial law.
Beyond the war, both Trump and Putin are interested in discussing other key issues, including nuclear arms control and global energy prices. During Trump’s presidency, the U.S. provided substantial military aid to Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Russia. Moscow has said it has withstood these sanctions, which have caused economic strain on the countries imposing them.
In Riyadh, Russian officials also discussed removing trade and investment barriers with U.S. counterparts, signalling potential cooperation on economic fronts.
As these talks unfold, European leaders are growing increasingly concerned about the direction of U.S.-Russia relations and their impact on Ukraine. While calling for increased defence spending to bolster Europe’s security, European leaders have expressed reservations about deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine without a formal peace agreement. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has insisted that any European peacekeepers would need a U.S. security “backstop” for support.
Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, stated that all options remain on the table, and he is expected to visit Ukraine in the coming days, further highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the future of the war and international relations.
