US-Russia Ukraine talks, European security and Delta plane flip
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Today, the latest from the ground in Saudi Arabia as talks begin between Russia and the U.S. Ukraine is top of the agenda, but Europe feels sidelined. We look at what security guarantees they can offer to be part of any peace deal. And a Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto, leaving several injured. It's Tuesday, February 18th. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the frontlines in 10 minutes every weekday.

I'm Tara Oakes in London. And I'm Christopher Waljesper in Chicago.

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US and Russian officials are meeting in Riyadh for the most significant talks to date between the two former Cold War foes on ending Moscow's war in Ukraine. The conversation could pave the way for a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Humeyra Pamuk is on the ground in Riyadh with the latest. Please note she spoke to us from the busy press room at the venue.

We understand from the U.S. side that so far they want this largely to be focused on how to end the Ukraine war. That was one of the biggest promises of U.S. President Donald Trump throughout the campaign. From the Russian side, we understand they're looking at this a little bit more broadly. We're hearing them describe these talks as a way to reset the

the wider American-Russian relationship and perhaps restore some trust between the two Cold War foes. What's the atmosphere like there? It's a rare rainy day in Riyadh, right? Yes, it is a rare rainy day. Journalists on both sides were very enthusiastic to get into the room fast and first so that everybody can get the best shot.

We have seen the principals sitting across from each other in an ornate room on a table. At the top of the table, the American traveling press shouted questions. We asked if Washington was sidelining Ukraine.

And we've also asked what kind of concessions Washington was going to ask of Moscow. Neither of those questions were answered. They largely, they ignored our questions and sat there with a rather stoic face. Do you have any indication at this point how long you'll be waiting for any sort of announcement, any sort of readout from talks?

We understand that these talks will probably take the entire day. There's been reporting that the Americans want Ukrainians to sign a piece of paper promising some of their minerals. And the Russians want to, as I said, make it a broader discussion. There are issues between Moscow and Washington about how their embassies operate.

in these respective capitals. I understand Russians are keen to tackle that issue. So there is a lot on the agenda and that is going to take a full day to iron out all of those. This is almost a precursor. This is an opportunity to test out if Russia

While the U.S. and Russia talk Ukraine, it's fair to say European leaders have been a little sidelined.

They're trying to ease their way back into the conversation, and several have met for an emergency meeting on Ukraine in Paris. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. At stake is not just the future of Ukraine. It is an existential problem.

Question for Europe as a whole. Speaking after the talks. But we Europeans will have to do more. Our European Affairs Editor Andrew Gray in Brussels has been looking into what European leaders can offer the negotiations.

So we're starting to see leaders talk a bit more about the possibility of some kind of military force to enforce the peace in Ukraine. And we're seeing some leaders who are saying they would be willing to put boots on the ground. The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is one of those. France has indicated it would be open to that idea.

Others saying too early or we can't do it. So the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying far too early talking about this and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying Poland has no plans to do this. So you can see already some countries much more hesitant about this idea than others.

Do we know how the Kremlin might view European troops in Ukraine, even in a peacekeeping role? Right. That's a big question. We don't know for sure. We certainly know from some of their statements in the past that obviously they regard NATO as a hostile force. The question becomes then, would they accept troops from NATO nations if they were not under a NATO umbrella, if you like? So we'll have to see whether...

That is something that could be negotiated in how it would work. As you mentioned, Keir Starmer said that in the end, there needs to be a US security component to this. But what might that look like? There are some capabilities that only the Americans have. Intelligence gathering, military transport, that kind of thing. But there would also be a political element. What the Europeans would want is some kind of assurance that if they ended up under attack,

that the Americans somehow would have their backs, would come to their aid, because that provides then an additional deterrent, if you like, and further deter the Russians because they would know if they were attacking European forces, in a sense, it would also be bringing America into the conflict.

Flights have resumed at Canada's Toronto Pearson Airport after a Delta Air Lines regional flight flipped upside down while landing. Passenger Pete Carlson told CBC News about being on board during the incident. Where all of a sudden everything just kind of went sideways.

And then the next thing I know is kind of a blink and I'm upside down, still strapped in. Officials say three people were critically injured, along with 15 others who were taken to hospital for varying injuries. Everyone seemed like they were there to make sure we helped each other and moved out of harm's way. Toronto Pearson's fire chief, Todd Aitken, says they'll be reviewing the incident but haven't yet determined a cause. This is an active investigation.

It's very early on. It's really important that we do not speculate. Weather conditions at the time of the crash indicated gusting crosswinds and blowing snow, according to a flight tracking website. Toronto received more than eight inches of snowfall in the days before the crash. A U.S. judge says she hopes to rule by today in a lawsuit aiming to block Elon Musk's Doge team from accessing information systems at major government agencies.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkin in Washington, D.C., heard arguments on Monday, even though federal courts were closed for the President's Day holiday. The emergency request was made by 13 Democratic state attorneys general. They argued their states may not be able to carry out educational or other programs due to the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to dismantle initiatives and direct mass firings.

Doctors have changed treatment for Pope Francis' respiratory tract infection to tackle a complex clinical situation, the Vatican says. The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from the infection for over a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday. A bus crash in Bolivia has killed at least 31 people, according to local police.

A police officer says the driver of the bus likely lost control of the vehicle, causing it to drop over a 2,000-foot precipice in the southwestern municipality of Yokala. Australia's central bank has cut rates for the first time in more than four years.

The Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate by a quarter point to 4.1%. It's the first reduction since November 2020 when the pandemic saw rates slash to an all-time low of 0.1%. The RBA says it's still too early to declare victory over inflation and was cautious about the prospects of further easing.

The rate cut will provide some relief to borrowers and comes as good news for Prime Minister Antony Albanese, who's facing a tough election to be held no later than May 17th. And if you have a hankering after central bank content, check out our most recent episode of Reuters Econ World podcast. It's all about central bank decoupling and is available wherever you get your podcasts.

And for today's recommended read, a special report about how a Russian-linked propaganda campaign has been pushing to undercut German support for Ukraine. It details how a traveling photo exhibit in Germany about the suffering of children in the Russia-Ukraine war is actually connected to Moscow. You can read more by following the link in the podcast description.

And if you want to learn more about the upcoming German elections, check out our special episode that dropped over the weekend. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. And we'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.