Russian and US officials spent four hours in Saudi Arabia in talks delegations described as "positive" and a "first step", despite criticism from Ukraine and Europe over their lack of involvement.
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00:00U.S. and Russian officials have held talks in Saudi Arabia, aimed at improving bilateral
00:06relations and negotiating an end to Moscow's war in Ukraine.
00:12The meeting took place at the Deir Ezzor Palace in Riyadh, with delegations led by U.S. Secretary
00:18of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
00:23It's the first in-person discussion between senior officials from both countries and is
00:28expected to pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President
00:34Vladimir Putin, although no date has yet been set.
00:39Ukrainian officials were not present at the talks, and President Volodymyr Zelensky has
00:44said his country will not accept any outcome if Kyiv is not included.
00:50But Ukrainian defense official Yuri Sak remains optimistic Ukraine will eventually be invited
00:56to the negotiating table.
00:59Nothing can happen without our consent, so rest assured, and I think this is the position
01:04that has been reaffirmed by the United States directly, that Ukraine will be a party of
01:10these negotiations.
01:11The talks in Riyadh come amid Trump's decision to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia
01:18and follow his phone call with Putin last Wednesday, in which he declared that both
01:22had agreed to start negotiations immediately.