US, Russia to appoint teams to negotiate ending Ukraine war
What's the story
The United States and Russia started talks to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine on Tuesday, as a follow-up to President Donald Trump's conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12.
Following the meeting, both nations agreed to appoint high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides.
The talks were held in Saudi Arabia.
Meeting
What was agreed during the meeting
They also agreed to build the framework for future cooperation on issues of mutual geopolitical interest, as well as historic economic and investment opportunities that will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine.
The US State Department said they also decided to establish a consultation mechanism to discuss bilateral issues and normalize "the operation of our respective diplomatic missions."
Diplomatic talks
US, Russia officials hold talks in Saudi Arabia
The meeting was attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
It went for 4.5-hours with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at Diriyah Palace.
Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy advisor to Putin, was also present.
The State Department emphasized that these efforts to address "irritants" in the US-Russia relationship are still in their infancy but seek to normalize diplomatic relations.
Negotiation scope
Future negotiations to cover territory, security guarantees
According to Reuters, a senior US official said future negotiations would likely address territory and security guarantees.
However, no date has been fixed for a summit between Presidents Trump and Putin.
The meeting was termed as an important step forward, but Bruce said, "One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace."
Ukraine was absent from these discussions.