Riad. The Saudi capital and the most populous city in Saudi Arabia will become the most vigilated city on Tuesday and the planet’s point on which all eyes will perch, especially from kyiv and Brussels, pending what is treated at the meeting between The heads of the diplomacy of Russia and the United States, Serguéi Lavrov and Marco Rubio, in which they will try to normalize the relations between Moscow and Washington, in addition to negotiating the foundations of a possible peace agreement that ends the war in Ukraine. An appointment to which neither the Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelenski, nor the European Union, which reject any type agreement without their participation are invited.
In last Saturday, where the vice president of the United States, JD Vance, showed that European countries would not have a leading role in these conversations. An exclusion from the negotiating table that the Kremlin had already been asking for some time, which argues that Europe lost its right to be in the meeting after breach of Minsk’s agreements by kyiv, Berlin and Paris a decade ago. “I don’t know what Europeans paint at the negotiating table,” Russian Foreign Minister snapped at the press before leaving this Monday towards Riyadh.
Lavrov will be in Saudi Arabia with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who landed in Riyader in the framework of a long east tour that he has had, in which. The meeting between Moscow and Washington, occurs in the midst of diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine and the uncertainty that has been generated by the possible concessions to Putin and assumptions of Russia for a high fire.
kyiv has always claimed that to end the war, he had to be able to keep all the territory that Russia has occupied today (20% of the country), but not only from the bar Crimean Peninsula and helped get up to the independence rebels of Donetsk and Lugansk, who have self -proclaimed republics not recognized by the international community. Now, and it is sure that there will be assignment.
The special envoy of the United States for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, indicated on Monday the concessions to L. “Well, maybe he renounces his oil income and we will force him to do it,” he said before the negotiating team is in Riyadh to address normalization in bilateral relations between the two countries and prepare a possible encounter between Trump and Putin, who They have maintained direct contact to negotiate an exit to the conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed on Monday that, in addition to Serguéi Lavrov, Yuri Ushakov, Putin advisor for international affairs, will be present at the Russian delegation. On the American side, Rubio will be accompanied by the special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the national security advisor, Mike Waltz. “We want to talk about the entire range of bilateral relations with the United States,” said Russian Foreign Minister, in reference to the Middle East and other international crises.
Meanwhile, Rubio, who is already in Riyadh after meeting with the Saudi heir prince, has maintained a cautious tone. “A phone call does not solve a war as complex as this,” he said in an interview with CBS News. Although he acknowledged that Putin “expressed interest in La Paz” during his conversation with Trump, the Secretary of State stressed that “the coming weeks and days will determine whether it is serious or not.”
Zelenski does not want to know about negotiations
While the negotiations between Washington and Moscow advance in Riyadh without the presence of Zelenski, the Ukrainian president has made it clear that Ukraine will not recognize any results that leaves this meeting. “Ukraine will not accept it. Ukraine did not know any of this. And Ukraine considers null Content of this meeting to the Saudi heir prince, Mohamed Bin Salmán, with which it will be seen in the next few days.
Zelenski has also maintained a telephone conversation with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, to receive the support of European leaders gathered in Paris and set a common position on the result of the meeting, making clear the need for security to be guaranteed, safety, “solid and reliable”, for Ukraine. “A high fragile fire would only serve Russia as a prelude to another war in Ukraine and other European countries,” warned the Ukrainian president.
Europe seeks its role
For their part, European leaders have also expressed their discomfort for having been marginalized from negotiations. This Monday, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, gathered in Paris the main leaders of the EU, NATO and the United Kingdom to agree on a common position. Although there were divisions about the possibility of sending peace to Ukraine, all agreed that any agreement must include kyiv and offer solid guarantees to avoid a “false closure” of the conflict.
Pedro Sánchez and Olaf Scholz considered “premature” to discuss a European deployment in the Ukrainian territory, while the British Keir Starmer was willing to study that possibility. “Europe must play its role,” said British Prime Minister, who will meet Trump next week.
Trump and Macron spoke before the Paris meeting on a phone call that lasted about 30 minutes. The French president also contacted Volodimir Zelenski, who reiterated that Ukraine will not accept any negotiation without his presence. “Any other decision without solid security guarantees would be a new deception of Russia,” warned the Ukrainian leader.
