NORMALISING TIES | Will address bilateral irritants, work on a path to end conflict in Ukraine, says statement

US and Russian delegation along with their Saudi hosts at the negotiating table in Riyadh on Tuesday 

Agencies RIYADH.MOSCOW/WASHINGTON

After  over fours of talks in Riyadh, their first on ending the war in Ukraine,  US and Russian delegations have agreed to “address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalise the operation of our respective diplomatic missions”. This was their first formal round of talks on ending the war in Ukraine, even as Kyiv and its European allies watched anxiously from the sidelines.

After the talks, US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in Washington that the two sides also agreed to appoint high-level teams for Ukraine talks, “working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides” The US and Russia will also begin to look at “future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine,” Bruce added.

The statement claims that “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”. “The parties to today’s meetings pledge to remain engaged to make sure the process moves forward in a timely and productive manner,” the statement  said.

But on timelines, the statement noted that “one phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace”, and so it is only a start of the process. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff represented  the Americans while the Russian delegation comprised Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov.  Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban were also at the table

After  the meeting, Interfax news agency quoted Russian negotiator Yuri Ushakov as saying the talks went well, and conditions were discussed for a meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Ushakov said a summit was unlikely to take place next week. But the talks in the Saudi capital underscored the rapid pace of the US . efforts to halt the conflict, less than a month after Trump took office and six days after he spoke over the  phone to Putin.

Earlier, Russia said its  talks with the US would have no impact on cooperation with Iran. TASS news agency quoted  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Russia is ready to help Iran in solving problems related to its nuclear programme. Speaking about bilateral relations, Kirill Dmitriev, a US-educated former Goldman Sachs banker, who might join the delegation to discuss any economic questions that arise during talks  in Saudi Arabia, said economic relations also mattered. He believes US oil majors that had “very successful business in Russia” would “at some point” return. “Why would they forgo on these opportunities that Russia gave them to have access to Russian natural resources?” he said.