Top U.S. officials are planning to meet with Russian leaders soon to try to end the nearly three-year-long war in Ukraine. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will head to Saudi Arabia for these important talks.
While the exact date and details of the meeting aren’t clear yet, sources say it will happen shortly. We don’t know yet which Russian officials will be attending, but recent reports suggest that Russia is putting together a team of important political, intelligence, and economic leaders for direct talks with the U.S. Kirill Dmitriev, a key Russian figure who helped with a recent U.S. prisoner release, might also be involved.
These talks come as President Donald Trump is eager to fulfill his promise of quickly ending the war in Ukraine. Trump recently had a long and productive phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin; it was their first conversation since Trump took office last month. Trump mentioned that discussions would kick off “immediately.”
According to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, the talks will take place in Saudi Arabia, where both U.S. and Russian representatives will meet with Ukrainian officials to discuss Ukraine’s future. Trump also hinted at a possible face-to-face meeting with Putin soon in Saudi Arabia, though no official plans are set yet. He suggested that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could help with the talks.
As the discussions are set to start, Trump’s envoy, Keith Kellogg, said that Russia would need to make major compromises to reach an agreement. Kellogg highlighted that issues involving land and stopping military action would be very important to any deal. However, he pointed out that it is unlikely for Putin to reduce Russia’s military presence.
Kellogg also suggested that the U.S. could put pressure on Russia by targeting their economy, especially their oil profits, which fund the war. He noted that a significant portion of Russia’s war funding comes from oil and gas sales. The U.S. hopes to use stricter sanctions to weaken Russia’s economy and encourage Putin to make tough choices that could help resolve the situation. Kellogg mentioned that Europe would not be part of these talks, stating that the previous Minsk II agreement failed due to a lack of actions from key players.
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