RIYADH: America and Russia agreed in Riyadh on Tuesday (Feb 18) to press forward with efforts to finish the conflict in Ukraine, a US official mentioned, as Kyiv and its European allies watched anxiously from the sidelines and Moscow raised a significant new demand.
US State Division spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned the 2 sides agreed to nominate “respective high-level groups to start engaged on a path to ending the battle in Ukraine as quickly as doable in a approach that’s enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides”.
Russian negotiator Yuri Ushakov advised reporters after greater than 4 hours of talks: “It was a really severe dialog on all of the questions we wished to the touch upon.”
Ukraine and European leaders are fearful that President Donald Trump may lower a hasty cope with Russian President Vladimir Putin that ignores their safety pursuits, rewards Moscow for its invasion and leaves Putin free to threaten Ukraine or different international locations sooner or later.
Even whereas the assembly within the Saudi capital was underway, Russia signalled a hardening of its calls for.
International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova advised reporters in Moscow it was “not sufficient” for NATO to not admit Ukraine as a member. She mentioned the alliance should go additional by disavowing a promise it made at a summit in Bucharest in 2008 that Kyiv would be part of at a future, unspecified date.
“In any other case, this drawback will proceed to poison the environment on the European continent,” she mentioned. There was no speedy response from Ukraine, NATO members or america.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has constantly demanded NATO membership as the one solution to assure Kyiv’s sovereignty and independence from its nuclear-armed neighbour.
US spokesperson Bruce mentioned in an announcement: “President Trump desires to cease the killing; america desires peace and is utilizing its power on the earth to deliver international locations collectively. President Trump is the one chief on the earth who can get Ukraine and Russia to conform to that.”
She mentioned the 2 sides had additionally agreed to seek the advice of with a view to tackle “irritants” of their bilateral relations, which the Kremlin described as “under zero” through the earlier US administration of Joe Biden.
Ushakov was quoted by Interfax information company as saying situations had been mentioned for a gathering between Trump and Putin, though he mentioned it was unlikely to occur subsequent week.
The talks in Saudi Arabia, which has pleasant ties with each international locations, underscored the fast tempo of US efforts to halt the conflict, lower than a month after Trump took workplace and 6 days after he spoke by telephone to Putin.
Critics say that Trump’s crew, by ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine and saying that Kyiv’s want to win again all its misplaced territory is an phantasm, has made main concessions prematurely. US officers say they’re merely recognising actuality.
Ukraine says no peace deal may be performed on its behalf. “We, as a sovereign nation, merely will be unable to simply accept any agreements with out us,” Zelenskyy mentioned final week.
