Russia, U.S. to name negotiators on ending Ukraine war

Russia and the United States will name teams to negotiate a path to ending the war in Ukraine, the powers decided on Tuesday in discussions that drew a rebuke from Kyiv over its exclusion.

Washington noted European nations would have to have a seat at the negotiating table "at some point", after the first high-level official Washington-Moscow talks since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Some European leaders, alarmed by President Donald Trump's overhaul of U.S. policy on Russia, fear Washington will make serious concessions to Moscow and re-write the continent's security arrangement in a Cold War-style deal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed his nation's exclusion from the Riyadh gathering, which lasted for more than four hours.

He said that any talks aimed at ending the war should be "fair" and involve European countries, including Turkey -- which offered to host negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to "appoint respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible", the State Department said.

Washington added the sides had also agreed to "establish a consultation mechanism" to address "irritants" to Russia and America's relationship, noting the sides would lay the groundwork for future cooperation.

Yuri Ushakov, President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide, confirmed the negotiating teams' appointment but said it was "difficult" to discuss a date for a potential Trump-Putin meeting.

- 'Heard each other' -

"We did not just listen but heard each other, and I have reason to believe the American side has better understood our position," Lavrov told reporters.

The veteran diplomat noted Russia opposed any deployment of NATO-nation troops to Ukraine as part of an eventual ceasefire.

Russia sketched out some of its perspectives on future talks, arguing that settling the war required a reorganization of Europe's defense agreements.

Moscow has long called for the withdrawal of NATO forces from eastern Europe, viewing the alliance as an existential threat on its flank.

"A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, responding to a question by AFP.

Before invading Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow had demanded NATO pull out of central and eastern Europe.

European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris a day earlier on trying to present a united front, on a war they have responded to with heavy sanctions on Russia.

"There are other parties that have sanctions (on Russia), the European Union is going to have to be at the table at some point because they have sanctions as well," said Rubio.

Isolated by the West for three years, Russia is hoping for a "restoration" of ties with the United States and a comeback to the international arena.

At the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, negotiations began without visible handshakes.

- 'How to start negotiations' -

Both Russia and the United States have cast Tuesday's meeting as the beginning of a potentially lengthy process and downplayed the prospects of a breakthrough.

Russia's Ushakov told state media the talks would discuss "how to start negotiations on Ukraine".

Trump has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, but has thus far presented no concrete plan.

The United States has urged both sides that concessions will have to be made if any talks materialise.

Russia on the eve of the summit said there cannot be even a "thought" on it giving up territory seized from Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Tuesday that Ukraine had the "right" to join the European Union, but not the NATO military alliance.

It also said Putin was "ready" to negotiate with Zelensky "if necessary"

But it again questioned his "legitimacy" -- a reference to his five-year term expiring last year, despite Ukrainian law not requiring elections during wartime.

The Ukrainian leader was in Turkey on Tuesday for discussions on the conflict with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Zelensky was due in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday but pushed back his visit after slamming the US-Russia discussions there.

© Agence France-Presse