US-Russia peace talks for Ukraine begin as Europe blocked out of Saudi Arabia meeting
17 February 2025, 10:17
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of a meeting with Russian officials for talks to potentially end the war in Ukraine.
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The top US diplomat is set to meet Russian officials in Riyadh alongside US President Donald Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, according to reports.
Rubio reportedly held a phone call with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday. It is not immediately known which Russian representatives will be present.
The talks mark one of the first high-level in-person discussions between Russian and American officials in years.
It comes ahead of an anticipated meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
US President Donald Trump has said President Putin wants to "stop fighting" in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, European leaders have not been invited to the peace talks in Saudi Arabia, Trump's Ukraine envoy confirmed on Saturday However, they will discuss their next move at the Paris summit on Monday chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have been invited to the hastily arranged meeting to discuss Ukraine's next steps as Europe scrambles for a seat at the table.
Sir Keir said he will attend the emergency summit with a "very clear message for our European friends".
Writing in The Telegraph, he stressed that "any role in helping to guarantee Ukraine’s security is helping to guarantee the security of our continent, and the security of this country."
He said: "We have got to show we are truly serious about our own defence and bearing our own burden. We have talked about it for too long – and President Trump is right to demand that we get on with it.
"As European nations, we must increase our defence spending and take on a greater role in NATO. Non-US NATO nations have already increased defence spending by 20 per cent in the past year, but we must go further."
The Prime Minister also said he was ready to send "ready and willing" to deploy British soldiers as part of security guarantees offered in any peace deal.
Backing the plans, Health Secretary Wes Streeting told LBC ensuring peace in Ukraine is vital for Britain’s security.
He told Nick Ferarri: "I do believe strongly, as does the Prime Minister, that Ukraine as the frontline, not just the Ukrainian defence freedom and security but for Britain's freedom and security as well and for the whole continent."
Streeting added: "What the Prime Minister is saying is that as well as securing an end to the war we need to secure the peace."
