US, Russian diplomats hold talks in Riyadh – DW – 02/18/2025

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, in Brussels.

Kellogg is on a whirlwind diplomatic tour that also saw him brief NATO allies on Monday ahead of a visit to Ukraine on Wednesday.

His meeting in Brussels on Tuesday comes a day after European leaders met for an emergency summit on Ukraine, following US President Donald Trump’s decision to arrange direct talks with Russia without Ukraine or European presence.

On Monday, Kellogg said he didn’t think it was “reasonable and feasible to have everybody sitting at the table.”

He was asked if the US would provide a security guarantee for any European peacekeepers deployed in Ukraine, one of the demands flowing from the European summit.

“I’ve been with President Trump, and the policy has always been: You take no options off the table,” he answered.

Talks between top United States and Russian officials about the war in Ukraine started in Saudi Arabia.

The US team is led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and also includes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Russian delegation is headed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov.

These are the most significant discussions between Washington and Moscow since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The meeting reflects a significant departure from Washington’s position under the administration of President Joe Biden, which avoided public contacts because he believed Russia was not serious about ending the war.

Ukraine has stated that no peace deal can be made on its behalf in the talks, to which Kyiv was not invited.

New footage has been circulating online, appearing to show an Australian captured by Russian forces in Ukraine in December.

The video seemingly shows Oscar Jenkins, who appears to be weak and complaining of a broken arm.

It was uploaded to YouTube more than a week ago, but the date or authenticity cannot be verified.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday it “appears to confirm” Jenkins is alive.

He stated that Australia “holds serious concerns for Mr. Jenkins’ welfare” and made it clear to Russia that Jenkins has certain protections under international humanitarian law.

“We have called for Russia to release Mr. Jenkins so that he can come home to his family.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Monday’s meeting of European leaders.

Macron stressed that a peace agreement could only be sustainable if Russia ends its aggression and there are credible security guarantees for Ukraine.

“We will work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians. This is the key,” he wrote on social media.

European leaders met in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit to discuss a unified strategy after Trump unexpectedly called for immediate talks following his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.

They indicated they were “ready” to provide future security guarantees for Ukraine, “depending on the level of American support.”

They also insisted that no deal over Ukraine should be made behind their backs.

The Elysee Palace became a crisis hub for Europe on Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron hosting heavyweight European leaders as they scrambled to avoid the future of their continent being written without them.

But while Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen insisted the talks were never supposed to yield concrete results, the fact is that Monday’s meeting created more new questions than answers on what Europe will do next.

The Paris leaders’ line-up, which included France, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland and Italy — as well as top EU and NATO officials — seemed not so united on which security guarantees Europe could offer as part of a down-the-line deal in Ukraine.

Read more: Few answers to US-Russia riddle after Paris crisis talks

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will receive the US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, in Brussels on Tuesday.

The meeting will focus on US President Donald Trump’s plans for Ukraine and the consequences for Europe. 

On Monday, Kellogg met with NATO ambassadors in Brussels. The Alliance’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, wrote on X that the talks were about working together for a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for wide-ranging talks that are expected to focus on the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said the talks were to prepare for possible negotiations to resolve the Ukraine conflict and a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Neither representatives from Ukraine nor from European countries have been invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia. 

Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected in Riyadh for talks with the Saudi leadership, he has stated that he does not recognize the legitimacy of the Rubio-Lavrov talks on Ukraine. 

He emphasized that any negotiations on the settlement of the conflict can only take place with the participation of the Ukrainian government.

This blog will bring you the latest coverage, analysis and multimedia content related to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Top US and Russian diplomats on Tuesday are expected to meet in Saudi Arabia to negotiate on the war between Russian and Ukraine.