Clearly working overtime to move the U.S.-Russia peace effort for Ukraine forward, both countries’ foreign ministers met on February 18 in Riyadh for the first face-to-face negotiations since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The mere fact that the Riyadh discussion was put together so quickly after the long and confidence-shattering telephone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12 upset most major players in the Ukraine war effort precisely because they were excluded, and consultations were minimal if any.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was not present at the Riyadh meeting, but he was instead in Ankara.
EU leaders were also fuming on the sidelines, with many having endured a painful couple of days at the Munich Security Conference (February 14-16) where incoming Trump administration officials made it clear that the EU’s position in future Ukraine peace negotiations was marginal at best.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron called an “emergency summit” for February 17 to allow EU leaders to reassess almost everything they had considered to be fundamental components of transatlantic relations prior to Trump’s inauguration.
After bringing together several European leaders, I have just spoken with President @realDonaldTrump and then with President @ZelenskyyUa.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 17, 2025
We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong…
In view of what some EU leaders term a “turning point” the EU urgently needed to reset its defense strategy and ongoing support for Ukraine and to move quickly to develop new policies in these areas that do not require Washington’s approval.
One can call it a Washington “reset,” but one thing is clear: all of this Trump-induced transatlantic disruption has achieved a major Putin war objective of splitting Ukraine’s formerly united supporters, on top of President Trump’s remarks the previous week apparently ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine. And all of this came without a single concession from Moscow.
Washington issued a short wrap-up of the Riyadh meeting’s key points, attributable to State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce:
Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today (February 18) as a follow up to President Donald Trump’s conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12. Secretary Rubio was joined by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Ambassador Steve Witkoff, the team chosen by President Trump to reestablish the bilateral relationship. Foreign Minister Lavrov was joined by Russian Aide to the President Yuri Ushakov.
President Trump wants to stop the killing; the United States wants peace and is using its strength in the world to bring countries together. President Trump is the only leader in the world who can get Ukraine and Russia to agree to that.
We agreed to:
Establish a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalize the operation of our respective diplomatic missions.
Appoint respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides.
Lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine.
The parties to today’s meetings pledge to remain engaged to make sure the process moves forward in a timely and productive manner.
One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace. We must take action, and today we took an important step forward.
We would like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.”
Later the same day (February 18) the State Department noted for the media that Secretary Rubio briefed the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom as well as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs on his meeting with Russia’s foreign minister.
