{"id":126986,"date":"2025-02-18T17:13:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T17:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/russia-and-the-us-agree-to-work-toward-improving-ties-and-ending-the-ukraine-war-in-landmark-talks-the-associated-press\/"},"modified":"2025-02-18T17:13:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T17:13:06","slug":"russia-and-the-us-agree-to-work-toward-improving-ties-and-ending-the-ukraine-war-in-landmark-talks-the-associated-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/russia-and-the-us-agree-to-work-toward-improving-ties-and-ending-the-ukraine-war-in-landmark-talks-the-associated-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia and the US agree to work toward improving ties and ending the Ukraine war in landmark talks – The Associated Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
The meeting between the two countries\u2019 top diplomats in Riyadh is the most significant since Russia invaded its neighbor almost three years ago. It is meant to pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP Video by Baraa Anwer)
Top Russian and U.S. officials are holding talks in Saudi Arabia in a bid to improve their ties and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Riyadh on Tuesday.
The U.S. Secretary of State\u2019s comments came after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the pair were discussing the possibility of an end to the war in Ukraine – without representatives from Kyiv present.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, second left, meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, third left, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, left, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, second right, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, sits next to U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz during a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, sits next to Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
CORRECTS THE IDENTITY OF PERSON ON LEFT – Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, right, walks with an unidentified member of his team across the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Baraa Anwer)
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, speaks to journalists at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Baraa Anwer)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
The meeting between the two countries\u2019 top diplomats in Riyadh is the most significant since Russia invaded its neighbor almost three years ago. It is meant to pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP Video by Baraa Anwer)
Top Russian and U.S. officials are holding talks in Saudi Arabia in a bid to improve their ties and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Riyadh on Tuesday.
The U.S. Secretary of State\u2019s comments came after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the pair were discussing the possibility of an end to the war in Ukraine – without representatives from Kyiv present.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, second left, meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, third left, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, left, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, second right, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, second left, meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, third left, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, left, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, second right, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, sits next to U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz during a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, sits next to U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz during a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, sits next to Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, sits next to Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
CORRECTS THE IDENTITY OF PERSON ON LEFT – Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, right, walks with an unidentified member of his team across the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Baraa Anwer)
CORRECTS THE IDENTITY OF PERSON ON LEFT – Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, right, walks with an unidentified member of his team across the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Baraa Anwer)
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, speaks to journalists at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Baraa Anwer)
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, speaks to journalists at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Baraa Anwer)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein\/Pool Photo via AP)
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) \u2014 Russia and the U.S. agreed Tuesday to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine<\/a><\/span> and improving their diplomatic and economic ties, the two countries\u2019 top diplomats said after talks that reflected an extraordinary about-face in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
In an interview with The Associated Press after the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said 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 \u2014 which were attended by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and other senior Russian and U.S. officials \u2014 marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done.
Lavrov echoed Rubio\u2019s remarks and told reporters that \u201cthe conversation was very useful.\u201d
\u201cWe not only listened, but also heard each other,\u201d he said.
Trump\u2019s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, and special Mideast envoy Steven Witkoff joined Rubio at the table, along with Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov.
No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which came as the beleaguered country is slowly but steadily losing ground<\/a><\/span> against more numerous Russian troops in a grinding war that began nearly three years ago.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would not accept any outcome from the talks since Kyiv didn\u2019t take part, and he postponed his own trip to the kingdom scheduled for Wednesday.
European allies have also expressed concerns<\/a><\/span> that they are being sidelined.
Ties between Russia and the U.S. have fallen to their lowest level in decades in recent years \u2014 a rift that has been widening ever since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and only worsened after Moscow\u2019s full-scale invasion.
The U.S., along with European nations, imposed a raft of sanctions<\/a><\/span> on Russia in an effort to damage its economy. And embassies in Washington and Moscow have been hit hard by expulsions of large numbers of diplomats, as well as other restrictions.
Rubio said Tuesday that ending the war in Ukraine could \u201cunlock the door\u201d for \u201cincredible 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.\u201d
His comments were further evidence of the remarkable U.S. reversal on Russia after years in which Trump\u2019s predecessor, Joe Biden, led international efforts to isolate Moscow.
Tuesday\u2019s meeting was meant to pave the way for a summit between Trump and Putin. After the talks ended, Ushakov and Waltz said no date has been set yet for that summit. Ushakov told Russian television that a meeting was \u201cunlikely\u201d to take place next week, while Waltz said he thought it could be arranged in the coming weeks.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lavrov mentioned the same three goals as Rubio and said that Washington and Moscow agreed to appoint representatives to carry out \u201cregular consultations\u201d on Ukraine.
\u201cI have reason to believe that the American side has started to better understand our position\u201d the Russian foreign minister said.
Witkoff said the meeting was \u201cpositive, upbeat, constructive. Everybody was there to get to the right outcome.\u201d
The meeting marked the most extensive contact between the two countries since Moscow\u2019s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. Lavrov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked briefly on the sidelines of a G-20<\/a><\/span> meeting in India nearly two years ago, but tensions remained high.
The recent U.S. 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\u2019t be favorable to them.
Kyiv\u2019s absence at Tuesday\u2019s talks rankled many Ukrainians<\/a><\/span>, and France called an emergency meeting<\/a><\/span> of European Union countries and the U.K. on Monday to discuss the war. Kyiv\u2019s participation in such talks was a bedrock of U.S. policy under Biden.
Rubio said Tuesday that ending the conflict would require concessions from all sides and that Europe would play a part \u2014 noting that they have also imposed sanctions on Russia. He said Washington \u201cis not going to predetermine\u201d would those concessions would be.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week<\/a><\/span> that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia \u2014 two key items on Putin\u2019s wish list<\/a><\/span>.
Waltz said \u201cthe practical reality is that there is going to be some discussion of territory, and there\u2019s going to be a discussion of security guarantees.\u201d
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said he spoke by phone to Trump and Zelenskyy following Monday\u2019s European meeting.
\u201cWe seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine,\u201d Macron wrote on social media platform X. \u201cTo achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,\u201d he said and vowed to \u201cwork on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians.\u201d
The meeting at the Diriyah Palace in the Saudi capital of Riyadh also highlighted de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s efforts to be a major diplomatic player, burnishing a reputation severely tarnished by the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi<\/a><\/span>.
Saudi state media described the talks as happening at the prince\u2019s direction. Like the neighboring 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.
But Zelenskyy postponed his own trip to Saudi Arabia scheduled for this week, suggesting that he wanted to avoid his visit being linked to the talks since Ukrainian officials weren\u2019t invited. He visit was rescheduled for March 10.
Meanwhile, Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with drones, according to Kyiv\u2019s 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.
Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Associated Press writers Baraa Anwer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.The meeting between the two countries\u2019 top diplomats in Riyadh is the most significant since Russia invaded its neighbor almost three years ago. It is meant to pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP Video by Baraa Anwer)Top […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126987,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}