US, Russia begin peace talks in Saudi Arabia as Ukraine remains sidelined

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are meeting in Saudi Arabia ahead of initial talks to end the Ukraine war, which will be held without Kyiv and its European supporters.

Other US officials in attendance for the talks in Riyadh include National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. On the Russian side are top-level political, intelligence and economic figures, including presidential aide Yury Ushakov and sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev, who played a key behind-the-scenes role in a recent US prisoner release deal.

Lavrov has said the talks will aim to end the “abnormal period” in relations between the two “great powers.” The discussion could also lay the foundations for a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

European leaders, who have expressed alarm at being sidelined from the potentially pivotal talks, held an emergency meeting on Ukraine in Paris on Monday. Their gathering came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Europe to band together to create a united army and foreign policy, warning that the days of guaranteed US support for the continent are over.

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