Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Russia will not agree to Nato peacekeeping forces in Ukraine under any settlement. His comments came after high-level discussions with US officials in Saudi Arabia.
“Introducing armed forces under any flag is completely unacceptable,” Lavrov said firmly.
Russia and the US announced plans to form teams to negotiate an end to the conflict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting “an important first step in a long process.”
Ukraine, however, was not invited to the discussions, which President Volodymyr Zelensky called “unexpected.” US President Donald Trump expressed disappointment over Ukraine’s reaction, saying, “They’ve had a seat at the table for three years. This situation could have been resolved easily.”
Speaking from Mar-a-Lago, Trump told reporters he was optimistic following the talks. “Russia is ready to take steps to stop the violence. I’m confident we can move forward,” he said. On European nations possibly sending troops to Ukraine, Trump commented, “If they want to, that’s fine. I support it.”
The meeting in Riyadh marked the first known face-to-face contact between US and Russian delegations since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The US team included Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. Russia was represented by presidential aide Yury Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, head of its sovereign wealth fund.
After the talks, Lavrov said both countries would restore ambassadors and work towards resuming cooperation.
“We had a constructive discussion. Both sides listened and understood each other,” he remarked. Lavrov reiterated Russia’s stance that Ukraine joining NATO would directly threaten Russian security.
Meanwhile, European leaders met in Paris to address the apparent warming of US-Russia relations under President Trump. However, no unified stance was reached.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer suggested any peace agreement must include US guarantees to prevent further Russian aggression and said he might consider sending UK troops to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed troop deployment discussions as premature, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk ruled out sending troops. Italian leader Giorgia Meloni also opposed the idea, calling it one of the least effective ways to secure peace.
In Riyadh, Rubio said the European Union would eventually need to join negotiations, given its role in imposing sanctions. In Ukraine’s absence, he assured, “No one is being excluded. Any decision must be acceptable to all parties involved.”
Speaking from Turkey, President Zelensky expressed frustration over being excluded from the talks. “Decisions about Ukraine should not be made without Ukraine’s involvement. This is not fair,” he said.
Zelensky appeared visibly upset, knowing the potential outcomes of these discussions could be decided without his input. He also understands Ukraine’s struggle against Russian forces would be nearly impossible without continued US support.
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