The Washington Post said that the Russian and US delegations will negotiate on the conflict in Ukraine and bilateral relations. This is the first high-level meeting between the two countries since Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in 2022.
Russia sent Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Assistant to President Yuri Ushakov to attend. Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the proposal to organize this meeting comes from the US and Moscow, which are ready to listen to proposals from Washington. The US sent Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Special Envoy to the Middle East Stephen Witkoff to participate.
According to the Kremlin, the talks will focus on restoring Russia-US relations, which could lay the foundation for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as seeking the possibility of holding dialogues on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
The Kremlin stressed that one of Russia's priorities in negotiations with the US is to lift some sanctions, especially against senior Russian officials and large Russian businessmen. Russian presidential aide Ushakov said that the main goal is to "resure Russia-US relations" as well as discuss the possibility of peace negotiations in Ukraine, but without the participation of Ukraine. Meanwhile, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the meeting would aim to assess whether Moscow really wants to negotiate peace.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would not recognize the results of the US-Russia negotiations if Kiev were not present at the negotiation table. At a press conference on February 17, President Zelensky expressed surprise at the news of discussions between Washington and Moscow regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
According to him, Ukraine was not informed about this meeting and Kiev "will not accept" any decision made without its participation. Mr Zelensky also stressed that Ukraine does not accept any agreement that would force the country to cede territory to Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow has said it will not withdraw from the acquired regions by 2022 and asked Kiev to abandon its ambitions to join NATO - conditions that Ukraine has completely rejected.
European countries are also looking to increase pressure on the US to ensure that Ukraine is not left on the sidelines in the peace negotiations process. France has convened an urgent meeting with the EU and UK to discuss its response to the US-Russia meeting. Leaders from the UK, Germany, Lithuania and many other countries have called on Kiev to have a seat at the negotiation table, while criticizing the US for seemingly going against its previous policy of always consulting Ukraine in all decisions on the conflict.
In that context, President Zelensky is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia on February 19, although he said his trip was not related to Russia-US negotiations.
Mr Zelensky also invited the US Special Envoy to Russia - Ukraine, retired General Keith Kellogg, to visit Ukraine on February 20 to discuss security guarantees for Kiev. Mr Zelensky hopes this visit will help establish a meeting between him and President Trump in the near future.
