By Paul Jouvenet, essayist and consultant in international affairs. Eurasia Business News, February 17, 2025. Article no.1418.
Russia and the United States have chosen Saudi Arabia as a platform for negotiations over Ukraine, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on February 17. According to him, the U.S. President Donald Trump previously mentioned a possible summit in the Arab kingdom, and this place suited the Russian side.
Dmitry Peskov said that on February 18, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and assistant to the head of state Yuri Ushakov will fly to the capital of Saudi Arabia. There they plan to discuss with the American side “the restoration of the entire complex of Russian-American relations,” as well as “the preparation of possible negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement and the organization of a meeting between the two presidents.” The delegation may also be joined by the general director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, who will oversee the economic issues of the negotiations, Ushakov told reporters.
The Washington Post, citing State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and US Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff will meet with the Russian delegation.
On February 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may also visit Saudi Arabia, AFP reported. The day before, he will visit Turkey, the office of the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, and on February 17, he was on a visit to the UAE neighboring Saudi Arabia.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, Turkey also offered its territory for Russian-American negotiations. On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressed in an interview with TRT that Ankara can offer the participants in the dialogue more than other participants due to “close ties with Moscow and Kyiv.”
Trump announced Russian-American talks in Saudi Arabia on February 14 and allowed representatives of Ukraine to participate in them. The presidents of the United States and Russia agreed to hold a bilateral meeting during telephone conversations on February 12. During the conversation, Trump spoke in favor of an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and a peaceful solution to the problem. In turn, Putin agreed with the American president and mentioned the need to eliminate the root cause of the conflict. In addition, then the heads of state agreed on the release and return to the United States of Mark Vogel, who was serving time in a Russian prison under articles on smuggling and drug trafficking. In turn, crypto businessman Alexander Vinnik, who was awaiting a court decision in the case of conspiracy to commit money laundering, returned to Russia.
The choice of the US and Russian leadership in favor of Saudi Arabia as a platform for potential negotiations is due to Riyadh’s good working relations with both countries, explains Anthony Marcus, consultant. According to him, Trump is comfortable working with the authorities of the kingdom and personally with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Other traditional Middle Eastern platforms, such as the UAE or Qatar, are unlikely to be considered by Washington for such a role due to the presence of problems in bilateral relations, the expert noted.
Holding the summit in Saudi Arabia will significantly increase the influence and importance in world politics not only of the kingdom, but also of the entire Middle East region. Middle Eastern states are determined to increase their own capitalization and for this they want to maintain normal working relations with all major players. This is a necessary condition for the role of an intermediary.
Earlier European states traditionally played the role of a platform and mediator in Russian-American relations. But they have lost this significance in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, having taken a pro-Ukrainian position.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced a meeting in Paris on Monday with leaders from “principal European countries” to discuss European security, including the situation in Ukraine.
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© Copyright 2025 – Eurasia Business News. Article no. 1418.
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