- Moscow and Washington Take a Step Toward Dialogue While Ukraine and Europe Express Concerns
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed satisfaction with the results of high-level Russia-US talks held in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, describing them as a significant step toward restoring cooperation in areas of mutual interest. His remarks come amid rising tensions between the United States and Ukraine, and growing uncertainty over the future of the ongoing war.
“Yes, I have been informed. I rate them highly, there are results,” Putin was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency on Wednesday. “In my opinion, we made the first step to restore work in various areas of mutual interests.”
The talks in Riyadh marked the first direct diplomatic engagement between Washington and Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago. The meeting signals a potential shift in the US approach toward Russia, raising concerns in Kyiv and European capitals that a deal could be reached without their involvement.
US-Russia Talks Mark a Policy Shift
The meeting in Saudi Arabia represents a dramatic shift in Washington’s approach to Russia. Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has spearheaded efforts to isolate Moscow through economic sanctions, military aid to Ukraine, and diplomatic pressure. However, the Riyadh talks suggest a possible recalibration of US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
Notably, neither Ukraine nor European governments were invited to the discussions, intensifying concerns that their interests could be sidelined in potential negotiations between Washington and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders have expressed frustration over the lack of transparency regarding the discussions.
In response to concerns, Putin reassured that Ukraine was not being excluded from future negotiations. “No one is excluding Ukraine,” he said in a televised address from Saint Petersburg. However, he emphasized that trust between Russia and the US must be rebuilt as a prerequisite for resolving the war.
“It is impossible to solve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, without increasing the level of trust between Russia and the United States,” he said.
Putin Open to Meeting Trump, but Seeks ‘Proper Preparation’
During his remarks, Putin also hinted at the possibility of a future face-to-face meeting with Trump but emphasized the need for proper groundwork before any such summit.
“If they want, please, let these negotiations take place. And we will be ready to return to the table for negotiations,” he stated.
Despite striking a diplomatic tone, Putin also accused European nations of possibly coordinating a Ukrainian drone strike on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in southern Russia earlier this week. The attack, which targeted a pumping station on the pipeline that transports oil from Kazakhstan to global markets, disrupted energy flows handled by major Western firms, including Chevron and ExxonMobil.
Putin claimed that Ukraine could not have organized such an attack without the assistance of Western intelligence. “We do not believe Ukraine acted alone in this matter,” he said, hinting at broader Western involvement in military operations against Russian energy infrastructure.
Trump-Zelenskyy Rift Deepens
As Moscow and Washington reengaged in diplomacy, the relationship between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took a dramatic turn for the worse.
In a series of posts on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump called Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections” and accused him of prolonging the war for financial gain. “Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left,” Trump wrote.
He further alleged that Ukraine had mismanaged billions of dollars in US military aid, claiming that “half of it has gone missing.”
Zelenskyy, in turn, lashed out at Trump, accusing him of operating within a “Russian-made disinformation space.” Speaking in Kyiv, he dismissed the former US president’s accusations as baseless and harmful to Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression.
Trump’s remarks also included a controversial statement blaming Ukraine for the war. “You should have never started it. You could have made a deal. I could have made a deal for Ukraine,” he said at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
The public exchange highlights the growing rift between the US and Ukrainian leadership, raising questions about the future of American support for Kyiv as Trump pursues a foreign policy approach that diverges sharply from his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Ukraine-Russia Border
While diplomatic efforts unfold, the situation on the ground remains volatile. On Wednesday, Putin claimed that Russian forces had advanced overnight from the Kursk region into Ukraine’s Sumy region.
“Our troops crossed into Ukrainian territory last night and are advancing along the line of contact,” Putin announced, suggesting that Russian forces were regaining ground in northern Ukraine.
However, Ukraine swiftly dismissed these claims. Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official responsible for countering disinformation, called Putin’s statement a “lie.”
“Putin’s information about a large-scale Russian offensive is a lie,” Kovalenko said. He clarified that while a small Russian reconnaissance unit had attempted to cross the border, it had been swiftly neutralized.
A renewed Russian push into Sumy, a region Moscow withdrew from in 2022, would mark a significant escalation in the war and could signal a broader offensive effort by Russian forces.
Ukraine and Europe on Edge Over US-Russia Rapprochement
The secretive nature of the Riyadh talks and the shifting dynamics between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv have raised alarms in European capitals. Several European leaders have expressed concerns that the US may be willing to negotiate with Russia at Ukraine’s expense.
“Ukraine must be at the center of any negotiation. There can be no deals over Ukraine’s head,” an unnamed senior European diplomat told Reuters following the talks.
European Union officials are closely monitoring the situation, wary that Trump’s foreign policy strategy could result in weakened Western unity against Russia. The possibility of Washington easing sanctions or making concessions to Moscow without consulting its European allies has led to growing unease in Brussels, Berlin, and Paris.
What Comes Next?
While the outcome of the Russia-US talks in Riyadh remains unclear, the meeting marks a pivotal moment in global diplomacy.
Putin’s measured response indicates that Russia sees an opportunity to break its international isolation, while Trump’s increasingly hostile stance toward Zelenskyy suggests that US-Ukrainian relations could be entering a period of turbulence.
The next steps in this geopolitical chess game will likely depend on whether Washington and Moscow continue their dialogue, how Ukraine responds to its growing estrangement from its key ally, and whether Europe will push for a more active role in any future negotiations.
For now, the world watches as the balance of power shifts, with the fate of Ukraine hanging in the balance.
