Ending War in Ukraine Will Require Concessions from All Sides Says Rubio

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that ending the war in Ukraine would require concessions from all sides, following a day of talks with Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia.

He also announced that the U.S. and Russia had agreed to restore embassy staffing, establish a high-level team to negotiate peace in Ukraine and enhance economic cooperation.

Rubio noted that actions in recent years had diminished the operational capacity of both countries' diplomatic missions, signaling a thaw in U.S.-Russia relations after years of tension following Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

"We're going to need to have vibrant diplomatic missions that are able to function normally in order to be able to continue these conduits," he said, at the conclusion of talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the very notion of which had already upended years of American foreign policy and alarmed NATO allies.

Lavrov said "the conversation was very useful" and that "the American side has started to better understand our position." No date was set for a potential meeting between Trump and Putin, which Tuesday's talks were expected to pave the way for.

Rubio was joined at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh by U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov was also there with Lavrov. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and the country's national security adviser Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban joined too, earlier in the day.

Saudi Arabia, which has positioned itself as a key diplomatic player in global affairs, has stepped in as a neutral host for the discussions. The kingdom previously facilitated prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia.

In a statement, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, "President Trump wants to stop the killing; the United States wants peace and is using its strength in the world to bring countries together. President Trump is the only leader in the world who can get Ukraine and Russia to agree to that."

No Ukrainian officials were at the meeting and after its conclusion Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was postponing a trip to Saudi Arabia this week.

On Monday the Ukrainian leader had said Kyiv knew nothing about the talks. "Ukraine regards any negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine as having no results."

Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to speak with Zelensky "if necessary," the Kremlin said Tuesday, according to AFP.

U.K. Calls for U.S. 'Backstop' In Talks With Europe

The recent surge in U.S. diplomatic efforts regarding the war has prompted Kyiv and key allies to scramble for a seat at the negotiating table, fearing that Washington and Moscow might move forward with a deal that does not serve their interests.

"The European Union is going to have to be at the table at some point because they have sanctions [on Russia] as well that have been imposed," said Rubio after Tuesday's talks.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting with European Union countries and the U.K. to coordinate their next steps.

"There is a common commitment to defend Ukrainian sovereignty and to ensure a European place at any table in which that is being debated—but differences over how to achieve those aims," Michael Butler, a political scientist, told Newsweek. "The Poles, Finns, and Baltic states seem to understand quite clearly that, as Zelensky put it on Saturday, the old days when America supported Europe just because it always had are over, and are making a strong case for a more muscular approach. Whether France, Germany, Italy, and others will follow their lead is an open question."

Macron said he spoke by phone with Trump and then Zelensky following the meeting.

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

"We will work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians," he added.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer underscored the importance of trans-Atlantic cooperation, saying, "There must be a U.S. backstop, because a U.S. security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again."

Ahead of the talks in Riyadh, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund—who the Kremlin said might join the meeting—underscored the importance of the meeting in comments to The Associated Press.

"Good U.S.-Russia relations are very important for the whole world," Dmitriev said. "Only jointly can Russia and the U.S. address lots of world problems, resolve for global conflicts and offer solutions."

Lavrov was more dismissive of Europe's role in peace talks. "I don't know what they have to do at the negotiations table," he said as he arrived in Saudi Arabia.

This article contains reporting by The Associated Press

Update, 2/18/25, 5:05 a.m. ET: This article and its headline were updated with additional information

Update, 2/18/25, 8:52 a.m. ET: This article and its headline were updated with additional information

Update, 2/18/25, 9:37 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information

Update, 2/18/25, 10:31 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information