Sergei Lavrov of US and Russian Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about taking down “unilateral barriers”; According to Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Europe would not participate in the talks. Our knowledge as of day 1,089
According to US sources cited by Reuters and AFP, US and Russian officials will begin negotiations to resolve Moscow’s almost three-year conflict in Ukraine next week in Saudi Arabia.
According to news sources, the US group attending the conference will include Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy, Mike Waltz, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state.
This might set the stage for a possible leaders’ summit as early as the end of the month. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated that Kyiv would not speak with Russia before first talking with a strategic partner and that Ukraine had not been invited to the discussions.
According to Moscow, Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday about the situation in Ukraine and the lifting of “unilateral barriers” erected by the previous US administration.
According to a statement from the Russian foreign ministry, “the two sides expressed their mutual willingness to interact on pressing international issues, including the settlement around Ukraine.” According to Moscow, the two decided to keep in touch to prepare for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, stated that while Europe would be contacted, it would ultimately be left out of the negotiations between Ukraine, the US and Russia.
In his remarks at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Kellogg advised his European counterparts to “get into the debate, not by complaining that you might, yes or no, be at the table, but by coming up with concrete proposals, ideas, ramp up [defence] spending.”
The moment had come for the creation of a European force, Zelenskyy told the Munich conference. The “old days” when the US backed Europe “just because it always had” are passed, he declared on Saturday, adding, “Our army alone is not enough, we need your support.”
Additionally, he assured leaders and officials that he would not rule out Ukraine joining NATO and that no decisions on the end of Russia’s war should be made without consulting Kyiv and Europe.
As worries about Trump’s attempts to take over the Ukraine peace process intensified, French President Emmanuel Macron sought to call an emergency summit of European leaders on Saturday night, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The conference, which is anticipated to take place on Monday, is anticipated to cover the US’s attempts to bar European leaders from participating in peace negotiations, Europe’s stance on Ukraine’s future membership in NATO, and how Ukraine may be provided with security assurances through NATO or another European force.
Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, responded to the possibility of being excluded from negotiations by saying, “Europe needs to talk less and do more.”
In Munich, Stubb told reporters, “Without Europeans, we cannot have talks or negotiations about Ukraine, Ukraine’s future, or the European security structure.” However, this implies that Europe must straighten out.
“David Lammy, the foreign minister of the United Kingdom, stated that he will support Trump and Zelenskyy in further strengthening their relationship.
Speaking at the Munich conference on Saturday, Lammy stated that securing US business, industry, and defense capabilities for Ukraine’s future was the strongest security guarantee against potential Russian attack. Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, stated that securing Ukrainian sovereignty is necessary for the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to conclude peacefully.
Additionally, we won’t accept any solution that causes the security of the United States and Europe to become disconnected. President Putin would be the only one to gain from this, Scholz stated on Saturday.
Andrii Sybiha, the foreign minister of Ukraine, and Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff of Zelenskyy, have spoken with Wang Yi, the foreign minister of China, about Kyiv’s idea of a way to peace.
The purpose of the meeting that was held outside of the Munich summit, according to Sybiha on X, was to “reaffirm mutual respect for territorial integrity.” Wang emphasized Europe’s participation in the peace negotiations by telling the conference on Friday that China thinks all parties involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict should take part in them.
According to NBC, the Trump administration has suggested to Ukraine that the US get half of the rare earth minerals produced in the war-torn nation.
The deal would allow Ukraine to reimburse the United States for the multibillion-dollar help and weaponry it has received since Russia’s incursion in 2022, rather than paying for the minerals.
Zelenskyy claimed that the US-proposed agreement on rare earth minerals lacked the necessary security clauses for Ukraine. When reporters questioned Zelenskyy on Saturday about the problem with the US paper, he responded, “It’s not in our interest today, not in the interest of sovereign Ukraine.”
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