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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss diplomatic and economic relations, including potential pathways to resolving the war in Ukraine. The meeting marked the highest-level engagement between the U.S. and Russia since the war began in 2022.
As a result of the talks, both nations agreed to restore embassy staffing, establish a high-level team to support Ukraine peace negotiations, and explore areas of economic cooperation. However, Ukraine was excluded from the discussions, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to declare that his country would not recognize any agreements made without its involvement.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump responded to the controversy by stating that Ukraine should have ended the war sooner.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has played a key role in mediating prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine. Both the U.S. and Russia are now considering the UAE and Saudi Arabia as potential venues for formal peace talks. Following the meeting in Riyadh, Rubio traveled to the UAE to hold discussions with Emirati leaders.
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