“Sanctions will have to be lifted”: What the U.S. and Russia stated after talks in Riyadh

U.S.-Russia negotiations in Riyadh conclude.

Representatives from both the American and Russian sides have commented on the outcome.

U.S. Reaction:

Reuters reported statements from the U.S. State Department regarding the negotiations in Riyadh.

According to the department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed to establish a consultation mechanism to address “irritants” in U.S.-Russia relations and to appoint high-level teams to begin work on Ukraine.

Overall, both sides expressed their intention to “work towards normalizing diplomatic relations,” but acknowledged that “one meeting is not enough to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.” They also agreed to cooperate on matters of “shared geopolitical interests” and “economic opportunities” that may emerge after the war in Ukraine ends.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, said that the U.S. was pleased with the negotiations with Russia in Riyadh.

“We were all focused on achieving a good result. We could not have imagined a better outcome from such negotiations,” he stated.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that both sides agreed to restore the previous number of embassy staff in Moscow and Washington, AP reported.

“All parties must make concessions to end the war in Ukraine,” Rubio added in response to a question about lifting sanctions.

“At some point, the EU must be at the negotiating table since it was the one that imposed sanctions against Russia,” he said.

“The West will have to lift sanctions against Russia in the event of a settlement of the Ukrainian conflict,” the Secretary of State added.

According to Rubio, the U.S. is focused on a “permanent, not temporary, resolution of the Ukraine problem” and aims to “act quickly.” At the same time, Trump wants to end the war “fairly” so that it does not reignite in 2–3 years.

Meanwhile, Trump’s national security adviser Michael Waltz stated that “U.S. allies are consulting on the Ukraine issue, and no one is being left out.” He emphasized that Trump is “determined to conduct negotiations as quickly as possible,” which will address territorial issues and security guarantees.

Russian Reaction:

According to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, the negotiations went “fairly well” and involved a “serious discussion on all issues.” He stated that both sides “agreed to advance bilateral relations” and “respect each other’s interests,” but noted that “it is still difficult to say that Russia and the U.S. are moving closer in their positions.”

Ushakov also responded to a Bloomberg report suggesting that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could meet as early as next week. He expressed doubt that such a meeting would happen so soon, stating that “it is difficult to talk about specific dates.” However, he confirmed that “separate negotiating teams from Russia and the U.S. will begin contacts on Ukraine in due time,” with the final decision on launching such negotiations resting with Putin.

Kirill Dmitriev also assessed the meeting in Saudi Arabia, calling the U.S.-Russia talks positive. He noted that both sides acknowledged that “two great nations cannot avoid communicating with each other.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also reacted.

“We did not just listen, but we heard each other,” he said.

According to Lavrov, the Americans have begun to “better understand Russia’s position.” At the same time, both sides agreed that “when their interests do not align, they should not provoke conflict but rather find solutions.”

Regarding Ukraine, both parties “agreed to initiate a resolution process.” Once the U.S. designates its official representative for negotiations, Russia will appoint its counterpart. Additionally, both sides agreed to appoint ambassadors and “create conditions for cooperation to resume in full and expand into various sectors.”

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Kyiv would not recognize the outcome of the U.S.-Russia negotiations in Riyadh.