US-Russia Resume Diplomatic Talks with Goal of Ceasefire and Post-War Political and Economic Cooperation | WPN World People News

U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a strong lead in pushing for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, without inviting European allies or having Ukraine present. On the 18th, U.S. and Russian representatives held talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for over four hours. Following the discussions, the two sides reached four main agreements, including restoring U.S.-Russia diplomatic relations, developing a plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war, cooperating in geopolitics and economics after the war, and ensuring the advancement and success of these plans. After the meeting, the host country, Saudi Arabia, did not arrange for a press conference or collective interviews.

Russian President’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, stated that both sides had serious discussions on all issues and agreed to "consider each other’s interests." Another Russian representative remarked that this marked the beginning of the dialogue, where both parties started listening to each other, showing mutual respect and equality. However, it was still too early to comment on the results of the talks. The two sides plan to form negotiation teams for future talks, aiming to restore normal diplomatic operations, reflecting Trump's desire to thaw relations with Russia. This follows a phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin last week, and the meeting signifies Trump's ongoing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war quickly, also moving toward a potential face-to-face meeting between the two leaders.

Previously, the Biden administration and NATO had emphasized that "Ukraine cannot be excluded from discussions about Ukraine," and Ukraine itself has stated that it will not accept any agreements imposed without Kyiv’s consent. According to Reuters, during the talks, Russia demanded that NATO officially abandon the promise made at the 2008 Bucharest Summit to allow Ukraine to join the alliance. At that NATO summit in Romania's capital, it was agreed to allow Ukraine and Georgia to join, but no specific timeline or plan was provided.