Talks conclude in Saudi Arabia HIGHLIGHTS: Russia says there is ‘mutual desire’ to start Ukraine peace talks

The US and Russian delegations have agreed to “address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalise the operation of our respective diplomatic missions,” US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said after today’s Riyadh talks.

To read a wrap of thsi blog, read this story: 'No one is being sidelined': US says end to Ukraine conflict must be acceptable to all, including Kyiv, Europe

Russia told the United States in talks on Tuesday that it opposed any NATO member sending troops to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire, Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"The appearance of troops of armed forces from the same NATO countries, whether under a foreign flag, under the flag of the European Union or under national flags, does not change anything in this respect. This is unacceptable to us, of course," Lavrov told reporters following talks in Saudi Arabia.

Following US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested Tuesday that the United States was in favour of cutting sanctions on Moscow imposed over its Ukraine offensive.

"There was strong interest in removing artificial barriers to the development of mutually beneficial economic cooperation," Lavrov told reporters after talks in Riyadh with top US officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday criticised talks between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia as talks about the war in Ukraine without Ukrainian participation.

Talks "are taking place between representatives of Russia and representatives of the United States of America. About Ukraine -- about Ukraine again -- and without Ukraine," Zelensky said during an official visit to Turkey.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh on Tuesday following the US-Russia talks hosted by the kingdom, state media reported.

The SPA news agency published videos on social media platform X of the pair meeting, a day after Prince Mohammed held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"This needs to be a permanent end to the war and not a temporary end, as we've seen in the past," Waltz US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said following US-Russia talks in Riyadh on Tuesday. 

He added, "there is going to be some discussion of territory and there's going to be discussion of security guarantees."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said European nations would have to be involved in talks on ending the Ukraine war following the meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh.

"There are other parties that have sanctions (on Russia), the European Union is going to have to be at the table at some point because they have sanctions as well," said Rubio.

The conversation was very useful very valuable and the American party has now a better understanding of our situation, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a press conference following talks in Riyadh. 

He noted that the most important yet basic thing they have achieved is to ensure that ambassadors of Russia in the US and American ambassadors in Russia are assigned as soon as possible.

The US State Department said more work would be needed to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, but called a meeting in Riyadh Tuesday between top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart "an important first step".

"One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace," spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement. "We must take action, and today we took an important step forward."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday after meeting with his Russian counterpart in Riyadh that ties between Washington and Moscow could grow if the Ukraine war ends.

Rubio told reporters that "extraordinary opportunities existed to partner" with Russia, adding that "the key to unlock that is the end to this conflict".

Following a meeting with Russia's top diplomat in Riyadh, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday (Feb 18), that Washington aiming for a "fair" and "enduring" solution to the Ukraine war.

Rubio added that he was "convinced" that Moscow was willing to engage in a "serious process" to end the war.

Russia's Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed to appoint high-level teams to being working to end Russia's war in Ukraine as early as possible.

They also agreed to future cooperation on matters of mutual Geopolitical interest and investment opportunities emerging from end to conflict in Ukraine. 

A Russian negotiator said after meeting US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (Feb 18) that talks had been "serious" but that it was hard to say whether Moscow's and Washington's positions had converged.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky met Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday (Feb 18), as Kyiv seeks to shore up its position in response to US-Russia talks.

Russia and the United States will discuss the Ukraine conflict in "due course," a Kremlin negotiator told state TV on Tuesday (Feb 18), after the conclusion of high-level talks between the two countries in Saudi's Riyadh. 

"We discussed and outlined our principled positions, and agreed that separate teams of negotiators will be in touch on this topic in due course," Yuri Ushakov, President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide, said. 

Russia wants NATO to disavow its 2008 promise to give Ukraine membership of the US-led military alliance some day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday (February 18). 

The US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia has ended. 

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova  said that the fhe first morning session in Riyadh is over.

"The Russian and US delegations have begun a working lunch at the talks in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh," she added. 

Post lunch, the delegations will return to the negotiating table for a wrap-up session, a TASS correspondent said.

"Peace cannot be a simple ceasefire – we need an agreement that will ensure a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine and security in Europe,"  European Council president António Costa said after his meeting with US Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg.

Coasta stressed that Ukraine can count on Europe, adding, "We are ready to continue to work constructively with the US to ensure peace and security."

The US and Russian officials have taken a short break for 15 minutes, Moscow's foreign ministry said. 

Spokesperson Maria Zakharova adds that when the talks are done, the foreign ministry will brief the media.

Kremlin says Ukraine has the 'right' to join EU, but not NATO.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen told US envoy Keith Kellogg on Tuesday that Europe wants to work with Washington for peace in Ukraine, and is ready to do more to arm Kyiv. 

"We want to partner with the US to deliver a just and lasting peace for Ukraine," von der Leyen wrote on X after meeting Kellogg in Brussels. 

The Kremlin said Tuesday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was ready to talk to Volodymyr Zelensky "if necessary" but repeated its questioning of his legitimacy as Ukrainian president.

"Putin himself said that he would be ready to negotiate with Zelensky if necessary but the legal basis of agreements needs discussion considering the reality that Zelensky's legitimacy can be questioned," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Tuesday (February 18) emphasised China’s commitment to promoting peace and dialogue, welcoming efforts such as the consensus reached by the United States and Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

“We hope that all parties can jointly resolve the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, find a balanced, effective, and sustainable security architecture, and achieve long-term peace and stability in Europe,” Guo said during a regular press event.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was not invited to the discussions in Riyadh. He said Kyiv "did not know anything about" the talks in Riyadh, according to Ukrainian news agencies, and that it "cannot recognise any things or any agreements about us without us".

He said on social media that any peace deal would need to include "robust and reliable" security guarantees, which France and Britain have called for but not all European powers support.

China's top envoy to the United Nations on Monday emphasized that his nation "welcomes" the recent consensus reached on Ukraine peace negotiations by the United States and Russia and it hopes that all parties involved will participate in the process to reach a "fair" and "mutually accepted" peace agreement.

"China welcomes all efforts toward peace, including the consensus reached between the US and Russia on initiating peace talks," Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine. He chaired the meeting as the rotating president of the Security Council in February.

"China hopes that all parties involved, as well as relevant stakeholders, will participate in the peace process to reach a fair, lasting, binding and mutually accepted peace agreement," he added.

On one side, talks are underway to end the war, on the other side, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that drone debris fell in one of the districts of the capital, causing a fire at an industrial enterprise. 

Russian negotiator said that Moscow expects progress on economic talks with US in '2-3 months'. 

"We have a series of proposals, which our colleagues are thinking about. And I think that there will, possibly, be progress in the not so distant future, in the next two-three months," Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Moscow's economic negotiator for talks with Washington, told state TV. 

The head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund called described Donald Trump as problem solver. 

Russian Foreign posted a video of the Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov and Russia's wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev arriving for talks with US delegation. 

The US and Russian diplomats were meeting in Saudi Arabia for talks on resetting their countries' fractured ties and making a tentative start on trying to end the Ukraine war.

Both sides played down the chances that the first high-level meeting between the countries since US President Donald Trump took office would result in a breakthrough.