Outcomes of Historic Talks between Russia and USA
Moscow suggests that a meeting between the presidents of Russia and the USA may occur by the end of February. Vladimir Putin expressed his pleasure at the prospect of meeting with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, and sensing reciprocation. However, he stressed that this meeting must be meticulously prepared, including addressing critical issues like the Ukrainian settlement.
Following this, political consultations between Russian and American diplomats took place in Riyadh. The negotiations were deemed successful and constructive by both sides. This contrasts with the views of recent US allies—the British and Europeans, as well as the Kyiv regime.
While Washington spoke of concessions, Moscow described the dialogue as "positive."
The intense focus of politicians, analysts, and global media on the Riyadh talks was justified. The event was, without exaggeration, historic. The Russian and American flags were displayed side by side.
Putin stated he had been briefed on the outcomes of the Russian-American talks in Riyadh and assessed them positively.
"Yes, I have been briefed. I assess them highly. There is a result," he told reporters.
"We have agreed to resume the normal operation of our diplomatic missions. The constant expulsion of diplomats from the US and Russia leads to nothing good. If things continue like this, only cleaning staff will work in these buildings, whose work, of course, should also be valued, but that is not what diplomatic missions are created for," the Russian leader noted.
The New York Times observed that the dialogue was a sharp departure from the previous US policy of diplomatic pressure on Moscow. Now, Washington is showing a willingness to engage.
The Wall Street Journal noted that transatlantic relations, already damaged by the US Vice President's devastating speech, are experiencing even greater pressure.
"Now the Trump administration, in my opinion, is interested in building relationships not on a global scale, which does not interest them, but in building relationships with certain world leaders where there is some American interest and who can defend their policies. Europe is completely dependent, and he is already setting conditions for it. There is a possibility that all the problems of Ukraine will be transferred to Europe. Zelensky also does not need this," said Pavel Kharkin, journalist, author of the Pasha Today channel.
The dejected Kiev leader was not invited to the Riyadh talks, no matter how much he tried to get geographically closer to the event. This is an important diplomatic event along the Moscow-Washington bilateral line. Although it is clear that the Ukrainian conflict serves as a starting point for building a dialogue.
In this context, Donald Trump characterized the talks as "very good," emphasizing that after the meeting of diplomats, he became "much more confident" in the possibility of a deal on the settlement in Ukraine.
Looking ahead, Fox News, the previous day, alluded to a possible three-stage peace plan, including a ceasefire, elections in Ukraine, and then the signing of a final agreement. Logical, but first things first.
"They must pay the bills. They need to figure out where the money went. Zelensky himself said last week that he does not know where half of the money we gave him went. I think we gave them $350 billion, well, let it be a little less. Still, it's a lot," said Donald Trump, President of the USA.
As for the Ukrainian elections, here, too, the situation needs to be realistically assessed.
Donald Trump, President of the USA, said that martial law had been introduced in Ukraine, and Zelensky’s rating had fallen to 4%. The country has fallen to pieces. Ukraine now looks like a place of mass demolition. Would Ukrainians now say, "Oh, how long it has been since we had elections!" It's not about Russia; it's what comes from me, as well as from many other countries.
"Both the American and Russian sides are satisfied with the results of these talks. This means, in principle, in principle, there is an opportunity to look for certain compromises. But this does not concern either Europe or Ukraine, which is not even invited at the stage of normalizing, perhaps, these relationships. Moreover, this also applies to the Union State of Russia and Belarus, because there are also a lot of questions. Europe did everything possible to spoil relations, trying to interfere in the internal sovereign affairs of Belarus, which, in fact, simply broke any normal relationship. And in this context, again, whether Europe will restore them or not, it doesn’t matter at all. Because now, again, the world has shifted in a completely different direction," said Pavel Kharkin, journalist, author of the Pasha Today channel.
The Russian Foreign Ministry notes: the dialogue between Moscow and Washington held in Saudi Arabia was the beginning of work on solving global problems that were created by the administration of the old President Biden. The current administration – of Republican Trump – demonstrates an extremely pragmatic course. It's not time to discuss; it's time to work on correcting mistakes. And the scheme is simple: a share of responsibility is transferred to former partners, and new allies are preferred.