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US and Russian officials met on Tuesday in Riyadh for the highest-level talks to date between the two former Cold War foes on ending the war in Ukraine.
They were expected to discuss ways to end the three-year-old conflict in Ukraine and restore American-Russian relations. Their talks could pave the way for a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine, which is not attending, says no peace deal can be made on its behalf. "We, as a sovereign country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week.
European governments, alarmed at the possibility that Russia and the United States could sideline them from negotiations that will determine the future security of the continent, have also demanded a role in peace talks.
Media were allowed to film the two delegations before the start of the talks.
Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sat opposite US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff at a polished wooden table with three large white floral arrangements.
The officials ignored shouted questions from reporters asking whether the US was sidelining the Ukrainians and what concessions Washington was demanding of Moscow.
Russia said the talks would focus on ending the war and restoring "the whole complex" of Russia-US ties, which the Kremlin described as "below zero" under the previous administration of Joe Biden.
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, told reporters in Riyadh: "We really see that President Trump and his team is a team of problem solvers, people who have already addressed a number of big challenges very swiftly, very efficiently and very successfully."
mitriev, a US-educated former Goldman Sachs banker, played a role in early contacts with Moscow during Trump's first term as president from 2016-2020.
Ushakov said on Monday that Dmitriev might join the delegation to discuss economic questions.
"It's very important to understand that US businesses lost around $300 billion from leaving Russia. So there is huge economic toll on many countries from, you know, what's happening right now," Dmitriev said.
US TAKES NEW APPROACH TO RUSSIA UNDER TRUMP
European leaders had gathered in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit to agree on a unified strategy, after being blindsided by Trump's push for immediate talks on Ukraine after a phone call with Putin last week.
The European leaders said they would invest more in defence and take the lead in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
"Everyone feels the great sense of urgency," Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said. "At this crucial time for the security of Europe we must continue to stand behind Ukraine."
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