A peaceful and permanent end of the war in Ukraine is finally discussed – but not all parties on the table itself.
On Tuesday, US and Russian officials held their first talks since the war began nearly three years ago, with an opening round of bilateral negotiations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The meeting came hours after European leaders in Paris discussed the assembly of their security, as well as Ukraine.
None of the meetings included representatives from Kyiv, which Ukrainian President Folodimir Zelinski says it is extremely necessary.
Canada will participate in another round of European talks on Wednesday.
Analysts say separate talks confirm the complexity of the bloody European conflict since World War II. While the new Trump administration focuses on securing a peace agreement quickly, the European Union’s allies in Ukraine want to ensure that the United States does not encourage Russia or leave a security vacuum on the continent.
“What the Americans do not want to do is get a long and introduction peace process as there are many stakeholders on the table, and multiple formulation options, and this thing continues forever,” said Andrew Rasioles, a Canadian world fellow, said: Institute of Affairs and a former defense official. “The Europeans, of course, are pushing strongly against it now.
“So these two parallel paths, and at some point they will intersect. The question is how.”
What does the United States and Russia discuss?
It ended a meeting on Tuesday between the United States and Russian officials in Riyadh with the effectiveness of the strategy of isolating Russian President Vladimir Putin to the war he started in 2022.
The talks are expected to lead to a future meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump, although no dates have been set for that summit.
While Ukraine was discussed, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the correspondents after the meeting that the two sides also agreed to restore employees at their embassies in Washington and Moscow and explore close relations and economic cooperation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the second left, meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al -Saud, Saudi National Security Adviser Moussad bin Mohammed Al -Aiban, American National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, the third left, left in the Middle East, east of the Middle East, Steve Stikov, left , Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, advisor to foreign policy Yuri Ushakov, the right. The second, at the Deriya Palace, in Raydeh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18, 2025 (Evlin Hakstein/Pond of the image via AP).
White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said that the American position is that the war must reach a permanent end, and that any peace negotiations will include “some debate on land and there will be a discussion of security guarantees.”
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US President Donald Trump He said last week Ukraine was unlikely to regain all the lands that Russia seized throughout the war.
On Tuesday, it appears that he agrees that Ukraine should hold new elections.
“When (Ukraine says) they want a seat on the table, you can say that people should – the people of Ukraine should not say, as you know, it has been a long time since we held the elections. Trump told reporters in Florida.
Russia also continues to insist that any undertaking of the future Ukrainian membership in NATO must be removed from the table, which was repeated by the Trump administration members.
Rubio stressed that the talks were distinguished by the beginning of the conversation, and more work should be done. He added that this included bringing Ukrainian and European officials to future talks, which confirmed in an invitation with European leaders later on Tuesday.
What does European leaders discuss?
While it seems that the United States and Russia are declining, there were differences between European leaders on how Ukraine escalated in a future peace agreement.
On Monday in Paris between the leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, NATO and the European Union, there were agreements to enhance defense spending, but they remained divided into the idea of spreading peace lawyer on Ukraine to support any peace deal.
British Prime Minister Kiir Starmer said he is ready to consider sending British forces on the basis of Ukrainian alongside “if there is a permanent peace agreement.” Danish Prime Minister Miti Frederksen said she was also open to discuss the deployment of forces.
But the leaders of Germany, Poland and Italy retreated from this idea, as German Chancellor Olaf Schulles described such a conversation as “premature” and “very inappropriate” before a peace agreement. French President Emmanuel Macron was not binding.
Trump said on Tuesday that he would be “fine” with European peacekeepers in Ukraine, which was said by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after the Riyadh meeting that Moscow is not accepted by Moscow.
Starmer added that any European security guarantee would need support to us, which US officials have said were a possibility.
Zelinski confirmed on Tuesday that his government should participate in peace talks to move forward.
“We don’t want anyone to decide anything behind our backs,” Zelinski told reporters during Türkiye’s visit. “A decision without Ukraine cannot be taken on how to end the war in Ukraine.”
Zelinski has postponed his planned journey to Saudi Arabia to avoid giving legitimacy to the United States meeting to Russia, according to Associated Press and Reuters.
General Keith Kelog, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, will be in Kiev on Wednesday for talks with Zelinsky.
Canada was invited to the second round of security talks in Paris on Wednesday with other European leaders who were not present at a meeting on Monday.
Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said on Tuesday that she wanted the Canadians to play a role in maintaining peace in Ukraine.
“We want to be part of these talks related to security guarantees,” I told a virtual press conference from Brussels, and that Canada is pushing the United States to include Ukraine in future talks.
Trump has long promised to end the Ukraine war quickly when he entered the White House in January.
The war, which will reach the three -year mark next week, has witnessed the line of confrontation in eastern Ukraine actually freezing for several months, although Russian forces are achieving slow but fixed gains. Both sides lost thousands of lives in what the Pallis described on Tuesday as “meat”.
Zelinski said on Tuesday that neither Kiev nor Moscow could win the battlefield.
“The Ukrainians have the will to be kept … but it will be another war, and will end in the end, in the end, Ukrainian fatigue and the lines will be more west than it is today,” Rasiles said.
He said that the Trump administration is likely to look at Easter as a possible final date to secure a deal, while Putin aims to the victory day in Russia on May 9 – the anniversary of the defeat of the Soviet Union of Nazi Germany, which has long been used in Russian propaganda.
But Rasiulis added that the relationship of the United States closest to Russia may have a “negative impact” for Ukraine and Europe, which both will need to be prepared.
Meanwhile, the United States and Russia have agreed to hold more talks. Lavrov said that Washington and Moscow agreed to appoint representatives to implement “regular consultations” on Ukraine.
The Russian minister said: “I have a reason for the belief that the American side has started to understand our position better,” said the Russian minister.
– With the Associated Press and Reuters files
