Russia has firmly rejected any NATO involvement in Ukraine under a future peace deal, following high-level talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that any presence of NATO forces under a different flag would be unacceptable, reiterating Moscow’s stance against NATO expansion. The U.S. and Russia have now agreed to appoint teams to begin negotiations on ending the war, marking the first known face-to-face discussions between the two countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine was not invited to the talks, a move that President Volodymyr Zelensky called a “surprise” and strongly criticized, stating that “you cannot make decisions without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine.”
The meeting in Riyadh brought together key U.S. and Russian officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Russia’s presidential aide Yury Ushakov. Following the talks, Lavrov expressed optimism, confirming that the two nations would soon reinstate ambassadors and work towards restoring cooperation.
Rubio stated that Russia appeared “willing to engage seriously” in the process, adding that all sides must make concessions, though he did not specify what they would be.
The meeting has caused divisions among European leaders, who gathered in Paris to discuss their response. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested that a “U.S. backstop” is needed to prevent future Russian aggression, while Germany’s Olaf Scholz and Poland’s Donald Tusk dismissed the idea of sending troops to Ukraine, calling it premature and ineffective.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the only European leader to attend Trump’s inauguration, cast further doubt on the effectiveness of deploying European forces to Ukraine.
Despite assurances from the U.S. that Ukraine “is not being sidelined”, Zelensky appeared visibly frustrated, warning that Ukraine cannot defend itself against Russia without continued American support.
With the war now in its third year, the negotiations signal a potential shift in diplomacy, but Ukraine’s absence from the table raises concerns over the terms of any future peace agreement.