- US and Russian officials start peace talks on ending the war in Ukraine as they meet in Saudi Arabia. It follows European leaders holding a meeting of their own in Paris
- Representatives of the Russian and American media were simultaneously led to the meeting venue, with Russian and US journalists waiting in different parts of the building
High-level Russian-US talks have kicked off in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and started without preliminaries and handshakes in the presence of the press.
The members of the delegations are seated around a large rectangular table. The Russian side is seated on the right and the American side on the left. From the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov are at the negotiating table. Opposite them are three US negotiators: President Donald Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US leader’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Representatives of Saudi Arabia sit at the head of the table. CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev is also present. He made a number of comments to the press after the talks began.
Representatives of the Russian and American media were simultaneously led to the meeting venue, with Russian and US journalists waiting in different parts of the building. The press entered the room when the negotiators were already seated at the table.
The meeting is being held in one of the royal family’s palaces, Diriyah in the Albasateen complex. Flags of Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia are displayed at the entrance, and a purple carpet is laid out.
The Kremlin has said the discussions in Riyadh could pave the way for a face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin “very soon”.
Riyadh, which is also involved in talks with Washington over the future of the Gaza Strip, has played a role in early contacts between the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, the talks are “very uncomfortable” for Ukraine, Sky News security and defence editor Deborah Haynes said.
Haynes explained Volodymyr Zelenskyy wanted high-level talks between Ukraine and Europeans to establish a united position.
“Before then, there were talks with Russia, the fact the US has decided to go ahead and speak directly to Russia is the problem,” Haynes said.
Turning to Donald Trump, Haynes said he is “the leader of the most powerful country on earth, he’s clearly making that strength known and doing it his way”.
Ukrainians “will have to watch what unfolds in the talks” in Riyadh, she added, but pointed out that the visit of Trump’s envoy to Kyiv tomorrow is “an indication Ukraine is not being sidelined yet.”
