Russia says talks with US a success, ready for talks with Zelenskyy

RIYADH: Russia says talks with the US to end the Russia-Ukraine war were a success. Russian President Vladimir Putin also announced that he is ready to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "if necessary." The announcement came after an official-level meeting in Saudi Arabia. The talks lasted more than four hours. The US and Russia have appointed high-level mediators to calm the situation. It is reported that important discussions took place during the talks.

The terms of the Trump-Putin meeting to end the war were also discussed. The main goal of the talk was to pave the way for a meeting between the two heads. However, Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said that no date had been set.

The talks were held following Trump's intervention. Trump had said the other day that he had spoken to Putin on the phone about ending the war. Ukrainian officials and European Union leaders were not invited to the peace talks. Therefore, there are doubts about how effective the talks will be. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced that he would not accept any decision in the talks that Ukraine did not participate in.

The meeting was chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and National Security Adviser Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Central Asia envoy Steve Witkoff, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, and senior officials also attended. The two countries reportedly agreed to restore staff at their embassies in Washington and Moscow to support the Ukraine peace talks, bilateral relations, and cooperation.