Top Russian and U.S. officials are readying to meet Tuesday to address a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine and preparing a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
AP reports Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov will fly to the Saudi Arabian capital later in the day to take part in the talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the U.S. delegation. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News Sunday he and national security adviser Mike Waltz also will take part in the talks.
Meanwhile European elites see the third anniversary of the Russian invasion approaching and realise Trump has done more to bring the combatants together in the name of peace than they have since the first shot was fired back on 24 February, 2022.
Peskov said the talks will be primarily focused on “restoring the entire complex of U.S.-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement and organizing a meeting of the two presidents.”
The meeting in Saudi Arabia comes as European representatives gathered in Paris for a rushed meeting to discuss the future of the Russia-Ukraine war and what they can do – if anything – to broker a peace.
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Trump blindsided Ukraine and its European backers this week by initiating direct discussions on Russia’s invasion in a call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as Breitbart News reported.
The E.U. is now rushing to keep up with Trump’s direct intervention and search for an end to fighting alongside a lasting peace.
The meeting in Paris on Monday afternoon is to include Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark and NATO chief Marc Rutte and E.U. chief Ursula von der Leyen, a European diplomatic source told AFP.
British media have said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to attend.
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