MOSCOW: Russia and the United States are set to hold their second round of talks within the next two weeks as part of efforts to bring an end to the nearly three-year-long conflict in Ukraine, senior Russian diplomat Sergei Ryabkov said.
Speaking to the RIA state news agency on Saturday, Ryabkov, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, confirmed that both countries had agreed to meet again following their first round of talks earlier this week in Saudi Arabia.
The talks between Russian and US representatives are aimed at restoring bilateral relations and working towards a peaceful resolution of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“The second meeting will take place in a third country, though the specific location is still being finalised,” Ryabkov said, without specifying who would represent each side.
The Russian diplomat also highlighted the “principled agreement” between both Moscow and Washington to work through a complex set of issues, referred to as the “entire block of so-called irritants.”
These discussions will cover two key tracks, according to Ryabkov: one focusing on the situation in Ukraine and the other on broader bilateral relations.
Ryabkov further emphasised that a dialogue on strategic stability and arms control could occur “when we see visible shifts for the better in American policy.”
He also suggested that issues relating to the Middle East could be part of future discussions between the two powers.
The first round of talks, which took place this week, largely focused on Russian-US bilateral ties, a matter described by the Kremlin as a “very, very important step” towards achieving a settlement on the Ukraine conflict.
The Kremlin also confirmed this week that there is a possibility for a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, with both leaders having expressed a desire to meet in person.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had complained that his country had been left out of talks between US and Russian officials — prompting a response from Trump who called Zelensky a “dictator without elections.”
He also blamed Ukraine for starting the war.
But Trump on Friday appeared to shift away from his criticisms and said that Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin will have to “get together” to bring an end to the conflict.
“President Putin and President Zelensky are going to have to get together… We want to stop killing millions of people,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
He added Kyiv would “hopefully in the next fairly short period of time” sign a deal handing Washington preferential access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits.
The US will submit a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly on February 24 on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on his X page.
.@POTUS is committed to ending the Russia-Ukraine war. On Monday, three years since the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S. will propose to the United Nations a landmark resolution the entire @UN membership should support in order to chart a path to peace. https://t.co/qf0dLYfmAj
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 22, 2025
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday that peace in Ukraine and security in Europe “cannot be imposed,” emphasising the need for both Ukrainian and European involvement in talks with Russia.
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“Peace in Ukraine and security in Europe cannot be imposed,” said Sanchez, who will embark on a visit to Kyiv on Monday.
Sanchez said that any “just and lasting peace” required Ukrainian and European participation.
Trump on Friday said he did not consider it essential for his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to be present during negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
“The position of the Spanish government is very clear. Neither the strongest law nor the law of the wild west. Peace in Ukraine and the security of Europe cannot be imposed, they must be agreed upon with Ukrainians and Europeans,” Sanchez said.
