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US-Russia ties and Ukraine war will be on the table as top diplomats from Moscow and Washington meet in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, while a concerned Europe remains in the shadows.
Russia-Ukraine Question With No Kyiv On The Table
Though a tentative start to ending the Russia-Ukraine war, about to near a three-year mark, both sides said the first high-level meet since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine is unlikely to result in concrete outcomes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, will also discuss the war in Ukraine. The talks come after US President Donald Trump held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, while the American defence chief rule out Ukraine joining NATO.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the talks would be "primarily devoted to restoring the whole complex of Russian-American relations", alongside discussions on "possible negotiations on a Ukrainian resolution, and organising a meeting between the two presidents".
Kyiv was not invited to the talks, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accuse the US of wanting "to please" Putin by "now saying things that are very favourable" to him. Zelensky said "we will not sign just anything in order to be applauded" and stressed that "the fate of our state for generations to come" was at stake. Even so, he warned that "there will definitely not be a Ukrainian victory without US support".
Zelensky said last week he was prepared to meet Putin, but only after Kyiv and its allies had a common position on ending the war.
Trump's push for a swift resolution to the three-year conflict in Ukraine is Moscow's opportunity to press its long-standing demands regarding Washington's military presence in Europe. Moscow has sought to roll back NATO's presence in Europe, with Putin demanding before the February 2022 invasion for the withdrawal of military alliance's troops equipment and bases out of several eastern members that were under Moscow's sphere of influence during the Cold War.
Moscow is buoyed by advances on the battlefield, pushing back Ukrainian troops across the 1,000-kilometre-long front line and regaining control of a village in the western Kursk region.
Contentious Gaza "Relocation" Plan
Rubio will also hold talks with Saudi officials on a controversial US proposal for Gaza, days after Trump's proposal to "take over" Gaza and relocate millions of Palestinians from the besieged enclave. While the US has indicated it is open to alternative proposals from Arab governments, Rubio has stated that "the only plan is the Trump plan."
The US State Department confirmed that Rubio met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, during which he underlined the importance of a Gaza arrangement that contributes to regional security, Xinhua news agency reported. The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that they discussed regional and global developments and efforts to achieve security and stability.
This comes days ahead of a regional Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh to formalise proposals, as Egypt plans a "comprehensive vision" for Gaza reconstruction that does not involve population displacement.
Europe Left In The Cold
Zelensky warned that Europe was in a weak position if it could not rely on the US security umbrella. While "readiness has increased" in recent years, "in terms of troop strength, the number of combat troops, the fleet, the air force, the drones... I honestly think that Europe is weak today", he said.
As European leaders gathered in Paris for an emergency security summit, Russia's Lavrov said he saw no point in them taking part in any Ukraine talks. "I don't know what they would do at the negotiating table... if they are going to sit at the negotiating table with the aim of continuing war, then why invite them there?," he told a press conference in Moscow.
Return Of A Diplomatic Pariah
And with Europe unable to serve as a common base for US-Russia talks, diplomatic pariah under the Joe Biden-led administration Saudi Arabia has been brought back into the fold with Trump's return.
Saudi Arabia's entry into the spotlight comes after the oil-rich power watched Qatar mediate a hard-won yet fragile truce in the Israel-Hamas war.
Saudi Arabia has walked a long road to international legitimacy after the disappearance and death of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.
A historic ally of the United States, Saudi Arabia has avoided choosing sides in the Ukraine war. On the other hand, it also maintains close relations with Russia on energy policy while promising hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.