“Two great countries cannot avoid communication with each other”: U.S.-Russia talks concluded in Riyadh

U.S.-Russia negotiations in Riyadh have concluded.

Russian representatives have commented on the outcome.

According to Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president, the talks 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 the presidential 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.”

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

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.