US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia begin

U.S. and Russian officials on Feb. 18 began talks in Saudi Arabia on how to end Moscow's war in Ukraine.

A Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is meeting a U.S. delegation led by State Secretary Marco Rubio, the first official face-to-face contact between the two sides since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Though the U.S. and Russia are meeting without Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky will also head to Saudi Arabia this week. NBC reported that the intention is for the U.S. to host a bilateral meeting with Russia, followed by a bilateral meeting with Ukraine, and culminating with talks together.

Neither Ukraine nor Europe has been invited to the main discussion, setting off alarm bells in Kyiv and capitals across the continent that U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could reach an agreement without Ukraine and Europe’s involvement, and one that puts their future security in jeopardy.

Zelensky warned against a hastily negotiated peace deal from the Trump administration during a wide-ranging interview with German media network ARD published Feb. 17, reaffirming that Ukraine would not accept a peace deal negotiated without the country's involvement.

"Everything that Russia and the U.S. can agree on – if they even want to agree on something – concerns their bilateral relations. They certainly cannot negotiate about our people and our lives. About an end to the war without us," Zelensky told ARD.

After an emergency summit of European leaders in Paris on Feb. 17, French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed the need for strong security guarantees for Ukraine, warning that a ceasefire without them risks collapsing like the failed Minsk agreements.

The Paris summit, convened by Macron on short notice, reflected growing European concerns that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin may be negotiating over European security without the direct involvement of European leaders.

"We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine," Macron said. "To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians."

He stressed that without such measures, any ceasefire could be short-lived and ineffective.