U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia to discuss the war in Ukraine, resulting in an agreement to restore embassy staffing and establish a high-level team to negotiate peace. Rubio stated that concessions from all sides would be necessary to end the conflict.
The U.S. and Russia also agreed to enhance economic cooperation, signaling a thaw in relations after years of tension following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not present at the meeting and has expressed skepticism about negotiations without Ukraine’s involvement, emphasizing that any negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine would have no results.