New talks between the United States and Russia are seen as a possible path to ending the war in Ukraine, with US Senator Marco Rubio calling the talks “just the first step on a long and difficult journey.”
The meeting between top US and Russian officials took place in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The main objective of the meeting was to find possible ways to end the war in Ukraine and lay the foundation for a peace agreement acceptable to both sides.
A US State Department spokesperson said that three main issues were discussed in the discussions:
- Ukraine's territorial integrity: Among the main issues discussed was whether Russia would return the occupied Ukrainian territories.
- Security Assurance: Discussions were held on what steps will be taken to ensure Ukraine's future security and respect for its sovereignty.
- Economic and military sanctions: Possible ways to ease Western sanctions were discussed.
But there was no Ukrainian representative at the talks, causing frustration among the Ukrainian government and its Western allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “No talks will be fruitful without us. No agreement will come into effect without Kiev’s consent.”
Russia acknowledged the importance of the talks but did not signal any compromise. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “"No peace plan will succeed without respecting Russia's legitimate interests. Western countries should accept reality."
Saudi Arabia is playing a mediator role in these talks, which is considered an important step in increasing the country's international diplomatic influence.
Marco Rubio also said, “"This is just the first step. The reality is, this is going to be a long and difficult process. Both sides will have to come to some compromises."
However, analysts believe that these talks will not bring any immediate results. Western countries are also on guard and have pledged to continue supporting Ukraine.
While these discussions are seen as a positive step, it is expected that a realistic solution will take a long time to arrive at. It remains to be seen whether the two sides can reach a solution through further discussions in the future.
