U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the U.S.-Russia negotiations in Riyadh on Tuesday, February 18, as a "significant step" towards establishing peace.
"Today marks an important advancement for achieving lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine. We are leveraging our global influence to unite nations. The United States desires peace. We want the killings to stop," he posted on X late Wednesday night.
He expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their hospitality.
As reported, the U.S. and Russian foreign ministries released statements following the meeting of delegations in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 18, focusing, according to the U.S. perspective, on "restoring bilateral relations," while the Russian version emphasized "intensifying contacts on international issues and the bilateral agenda."
The first round of talks between U.S. and Russian officials took place in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) on Tuesday, lasting over four hours.
From the American side, the meeting included Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while the Russian delegation consisted of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky canceled his official visit to Riyadh, which had been previously announced, due to the developments surrounding the Russian-American negotiations in Saudi Arabia on February 18, and rescheduled it for March 10.
Source: https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1891984874627559554