Finally, a peaceful and lasting end of the war in Ukraine is being discussed, but not all parties are at the same table.
American and Russian officials celebrated their first conversations on Tuesday since the war began almost three years ago, with an opening round of bilateral negotiations in Saudi Arabia. The meeting took place hours after the European leaders met in Paris to discuss the underpinning of their own security, as well as Ukraine.
None of the meetings included Kyiv representatives, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it is absolutely necessary.
Canada will participate in another round of European conversations on Wednesday.
Separate conversations underline the complexity of ending the most fatal European conflict since World War II, analysts say. While the new Trump administration focuses on ensuring a peace agreement quickly, the EU allies of Ukraine want to ensure that the United States does not embarmament to Russia or leave a security vacuum in the continent.
“What Americans do not want A former defense official. “Europeans, of course, are pressing strongly against that now.
“So these are two parallel clues, and at some point they will cross. The question is how “
What are the United States and Russia arguing?
Tuesday's meeting between US and Russian officials in Riyadh effectively ended the strategy of isolating Russian president Vladimir Putin about the war that began in 2022.
The conversations are expected to lead to a future meeting between Putin and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, although both parties said no dates have been established for that summit.
While Ukraine was discussed, the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, told journalists after the meeting that the two parties also agreed to restore staff in their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow and explore narrower relationships and economic cooperation and economic economic cooperation .
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, second left, meets with Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor, Mosaad Bin Mohammad al-Aiban, National Security Advisor of the United States, Mike Waltz, third left, environment of the Middle East of the United States Steve Witkoff, left, Minister of Russian Foreign Relations Sergei Lavrov, right, and the foreign policy advisor of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yuri Ushakov, second right, at the Diriyah Palace, in Riad, Saudi Arabia, on February 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo through AP).
The White House National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, said that the position of the United States was that the war must reach a permanent end, and that any peace negotiation will imply “a discussion about territory and there will be a discussion about the security guarantees “.
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President of the United States Donald Trump said last week It was “unlikely” that Ukraine recovered all the land that Russia has taken in the course of the war.
On Tuesday, he seemed to agree that Ukraine should also celebrate new elections.
“When (Ukraine says) they want a seat on the table, could you say that people have to do it, the people of Ukraine would have to say, you know,” has spent a lot of time since we had an choice? “Trump told journalists in Florida.
Russia also continues to insist that any commitment to a future Ukrainian membership in NATO must be withdrawn from the table, which has been repeated by members of the Trump administration.
Rubio emphasized that conversations marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work is needed. That included bringing Ukrainian and European officials to future conversations, he added, which he said in a call with European leaders later on Tuesday.
What are European leaders discussing?
While the United States and Russia seemed more and more closely, there were disagreements among European leaders on how to assume Ukraine in case of a future peace agreement.
Monday's conversations in Paris among the leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, NATO and the European Union saw agreements to boost defense expense, but remained divided into the Idea to display the maintenance of Ukraine peace to support any peace agreement.
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he is ready to consider sending British forces in the Ukrainian field along with others “if there is a lasting peace agreement.” Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said he was also open to discussing troops deployments.
But the leaders of Germany, Poland and Italy retreated that idea, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz calling such a “premature” and “highly inappropriate” talk before a peace agreement. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, was not commitment.
Trump said Tuesday that he would be “good” with the European peace maintenance troops in Ukraine, something Russian, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after Riyad's meeting was something that Moscow would not accept.
Starmer added that any European security guarantee would need the support of USA. UU., That US officials said it remained a possibility.
Zelenskyy emphasized on Tuesday that his government must be involved in peace conversations in the future.
“We want anyone to decide anything behind us,” Zelenskyy told reporters during a visit to Türkiye. “You cannot make a decision without Ukraine on how to put an end to war in Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy postponed his own planned trip to Saudi Arabia to avoid legitimacy to the United States and Russia meeting, Associated Press and Reuters reported.
General Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, will be in kyiv on Wednesday to talk to Zelenskyy.
Canada has been invited to a second round of security conversations in Paris on Wednesday with other European leaders who are not present at Monday's meeting, confirmed a government source to Global News.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly, said Tuesday that she wants Canadians to play a role in the maintenance of peace in Ukraine.
She said at a virtual press conference in Brussels that “we want to be part of these conversations regarding security guarantees,” and that Canada is pressing the United States to include Ukraine in future conversations.
Trump had long promised to quickly end the Ukraine War upon entering the White House in January.
The war, which will reach the three -year mark next week, has seen the front line in East Ukraine effectively frozen for several months, although Russian troops are obtaining slow but stable gains. Both parties have lost thousands of lives in what Waltz on Tuesday called a “meat pilot.”
Zelenskyy said Tuesday that neither Kyiv nor Moscow can win on the battlefield.
“The Ukrainians have the will to hold on … but it will be an additional wear war and finally end, ultrasoundly and the lines will be more west than they are today,” said Rasiulis.
He said that the Trump administration is probably considering Easter as a potential deadline to ensure an agreement, while Putin points to Russian Victory Day holidays on May 9, the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany of the Nazi Germany of the Soviet Union that has been used for a long time for the propaganda of Russian propaganda.
But Rasiulis added a closer relationship of the United States and Russia can have a “negative collateral effect” for Ukraine and Europe that both must prepare.
Meanwhile, the United States and Russia agreed to have more conversations. Lavrov said Washington and Moscow agreed to appoint representatives to carry out “regular consultations” in Ukraine.
“I have reasons to believe that the American side has begun to better understand our position,” said Russian minister.
—With Associated Press and Reuters files