US and Russian officials meet in Riyadh for Ukraine talks; Kyiv not invited
OCCURRED Feb 18 · 12:00 UTCRECORDED 2026-09-02T03:35:35.938Zfact_1kpmh3knm1
✓ VERIFIEDfactrepo verdict
Multiple reputable sources confirm that senior US and Russian officials met in Riyadh on 18 February 2025 for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, and that Ukraine was not invited. The meeting followed a phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin. While the sources agree on the core facts, there is some nuance: Russian officials expressed readiness to negotiate with Zelensky, but questioned his legitimacy, and the US State Department cautioned that one meeting is not sufficient for peace.
On 18 February 2025, senior US and Russian officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. The talks were a follow-up to a phone call between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin on 12 February. Ukraine was not invited to the meeting. The US State Department said that 'one phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish peace,' while Russian officials expressed readiness to negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but questioned his legitimacy.
LOCATION Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaACTORS United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Marco Rubio, Sergei Lavrov, Steve Witkoff, Yuri Ushakov#ukraine-war #us-russia-talks #riyadh-meeting #diplomacy
SOURCES (1)
- [1]US, Russia begin talks to end Ukraine war after Riyadh meetingThe Jerusalem Post · www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-842660
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