Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00As Russian diplomats touched down in Riyadh, they confirmed that talks with Trump's delegation
00:04would not involve any other parties.
00:07The meeting hopes to improve ties between Russia and the U.S., as well as bring an end
00:11to the war in Ukraine.
00:12We came to hold talks with American colleagues.
00:17All these bilateral talks, they are purely bilateral talks.
00:21There cannot be other talks in Riyadh.
00:24The talks come in the wake of a telephone call last Wednesday between U.S. President
00:28Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
00:31The two leaders agreed to end the war in Ukraine, while seemingly leaving Europe out of the
00:36equation, a move defended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
00:41I don't know why they should be at the negotiating table.
00:44If they're going to come up with some cunning ideas about freezing the conflict, while actually
00:49intending, as is their custom and nature, to continue the war, then why should we invite
00:54them at all?
00:56Marco Rubio arrived earlier that same day and was welcomed by the Saudi Crown Prince
01:01in Riyadh.
01:02Saudi Arabia is the Secretary of State's second stop on his maiden tour of the Middle East
01:06after Israel.
01:09Also not invited to this meeting is Ukraine, despite the fact that its president is in
01:14the region, visiting the United Arab Emirates and Turkey on his latest diplomatic tour.
01:20Vladimir Zelensky said he didn't know anything about the talks and stressed that Ukraine
01:24cannot recognise any US-Russian agreement reached without it.