Listening and hearing each other. How the meeting with the US delegation ended

On Tuesday, February 18, the first face-to-face meeting of delegations from Russia and the United States in several years took place in Riyadh. Despite the fact that in Europe and Ukraine they tried to present it as "negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine, which we will not accept," the politicians had broader tasks: to find common ground in the positions of the countries and to start restoring the virtually interrupted dialog between the capitals. The Russian delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov and CEO of RDIF Kirill Dmitriev. The U.S. delegation included State Department chief Marco Rubio, White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Whitkoff. The meeting lasted more than four hours. What the parties agreed on during this time - in the material "Izvestia".

On mutual understanding

- The Russian Foreign Minister said that the parties "listened and heard" each other, and he believes that the United States has become a better understanding of the position of the Russian Federation. According to the diplomat, Russia reiterated its view of the situation, and the delegations agreed that when the interests of their countries do not coincide, they need to solve problems rather than provoke conflict, Lavrov emphasized.

- Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev also noted the positive tone of the talks, while US Special Envoy Stephen Whitkoff pointed out that the US delegation could not have imagined a "better result" of the meeting. According to him, the talks were "constructive, positive and optimistic.

- Despite the fact that it was noted that the positions of the parties have not yet converged, nevertheless, all the participants in the negotiations demonstrated their intention to find common ground - this was stated by the representatives of both the United States and Russia.

- Marco Rubio also pointed out that there have been no significant contacts between the countries for almost three years, and the meeting in Riyadh laid the foundation for future interaction.

- The sides emphasized that the meeting took place on the instructions of Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump and was only the first point of reference on a long journey. Yuri Ushakov pointed out that Moscow and Washington agreed to promote bilateral relations, as both countries are interested in it. Representatives of the countries will work to create conditions for the meeting of heads of state, which, however, is unlikely to take place next week, as some media reported.

About the restoration of the work of embassies

- Despite the fact that the last meeting, as repeatedly emphasized by both sides, was only the beginning of a long process of settlement of relations between the countries, already on this day it was possible to achieve not only a desire to understand each other, but also several specific agreements.

- According to Lavrov, the first of them is to ensure the speedy appointment of Russian and U.S. ambassadors in Moscow and Washington. Moscow and Washington have practically agreed to "once and for all" resolve issues with the functioning of the two countries' diplomatic missions.

Resolving issues: talks between Russian and US delegations begin in Riyadh

The sides may discuss a meeting between the leaders of the countries Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump

- This agreement of the delegations can also be called the most important, as the restoration of full-fledged work of diplomatic agencies will become the basis for further communication and establishment of relations.

- The U.S. foreign minister emphasized that the restoration of normal work of the embassies would be the "next stage" of the negotiation process between the two countries. According to him, Washington considers it impossible to negotiate without this step. At the same time, he emphasized that "the work to restore the activities of the Russian and US diplomatic missions can be quite fast." It is important that we are talking not only about the position of ambassadors, but also the restoration of a full staff.

- At the same time, the US diplomat explained that the issue of reopening the US and Russian consulates remains open.

On ending the conflict in Ukraine

- Discussing ways to end the conflict in Ukraine, the sides have decided to appoint a representative of their country from each side as part of this work, Lavrov said. Regular consultations on the issue will begin after that. Russia, speaking about the situation in Ukraine, explained to the interlocutors the unacceptability of the appearance of NATO or NATO countries' troops on the territory of Ukraine.

- After the meeting, Yushiy Ushakov said that the USA had chosen Keith Kellogg , the US president's special envoy for Ukraine, as its representative in the negotiating group with Russia on Ukraine.

- Marco Rubio confirmed that the work to end the conflict in Ukraine will require "complex and intense diplomacy" for a long time. In his opinion, the future of the negotiation process will be determined by the willingness of the parties to stick to their promises. He emphasized that US President Donald Trump is interested in ensuring that the conflict does not resume in two or three years. He also noted that the end of the conflict in Ukraine will require concessions from all sides. In addition, for the peace agreement to work, it is necessary that all parties agree to it, the politician emphasized.

- Speaking about the parties to the peace process, Rubio called Russia an indispensable participant in its launch. The European Union, in his opinion, should also be at the negotiating table "since it has imposed sanctions against Russia."

- Mike Walz, for his part, noted that there is a discussion to be had on territories and security guarantees, and described them as the fundamentals that will underpin any discussions.

- He added that Trump intends to act quickly, and the US delegation expects to build on that momentum to "unlock a relationship that could be very productive in the future."

On restoring economic cooperation

- Lavrov said that during the meeting, the sides also agreed to create conditions for the resumption of Russian-American cooperation in full, in parallel with the processes of settlement in Ukraine. They also discussed the resumption of consultations on geopolitical problems in cases where both Russia and the United States have interests in them. This includes conflicts in various regions of the world.

- These theses were also confirmed by Marco Rubio. According to him, it was decided to start working at a high level to think about and discuss geopolitical and economic cooperation as a result of ending the conflict in Ukraine.

- According to Sergey Lavrov, another important aspect discussed at the meeting was getting rid of "artificial barriers" in the area of bank transfers. It was agreed that our deputy foreign ministers would soon agree to meet and consider the need to eliminate them, which, in turn, would facilitate the work of embassies.

- Russia and the United States have agreed to promote bilateral relations, both Moscow and Washington are interested in this, Ushakov said. Moscow and Washington will work to create conditions for a meeting between Putin and Trump, Ushakov said. A meeting between Putin and Trump is unlikely to take place next week and, according to the Russian presidential aide, it is difficult to talk about specific dates. For now, Lavrov said that representatives of the countries have been instructed to discuss what needs to be done to prepare for a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.