On February 18, 2025, bilateral talks between delegations of the Russian Federation and the United States of America will be held in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, dedicated to the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that the Russian side will be represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and himself. In addition, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev may join the discussion of economic issues.

The American side will be represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steven Witkoff. The main goal of the meeting is to prepare the ground for a possible meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, as well as to discuss ways to normalize bilateral relations and resolve the situation in Ukraine.

However, the Ukrainian side expressed dissatisfaction with the upcoming negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv was not invited to the meeting and does not recognize any agreements reached without Ukraine's participation. He stressed that any decisions taken without Ukraine's presence will not have legitimacy in the eyes of his government.

Earlier, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya noted that Moscow was closely monitoring the rhetoric of the Trump administration, but had not yet received specific signals to resume contacts, including the situation around Ukraine. He emphasized that Russia's approaches to resolving the crisis are well known and were voiced by President Putin in June 2024.

The upcoming talks in Riyadh are causing a wide resonance in the international arena. France has initiated an emergency summit of the leaders of the European Union and Great Britain to discuss the possible consequences of the Russian-American talks and to develop a unified position on the Ukrainian crisis.

Experts note that Ukraine's absence from the negotiating table could complicate the process of achieving sustainable peace. Without Kyiv's direct participation in the discussions, any agreements reached could be perceived as imposed from outside and meet resistance within the country.