U.S.-Russia talks — What the parties agreed on

On Tuesday, February 18, delegations from the United States and Russia met in Saudi Arabia. They agreed to set up negotiating groups on the war in Ukraine, according to the U.S. State Department's website.

What the U.S. and Russia agreed on

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said that the United States was satisfied with the talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia. According to him, the American delegation could not have imagined a better outcome of the talks.

The statement reads about the following agreements reached between the parties:

• Establish a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalize the operation of our respective diplomatic missions.
• Appoint respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides.
• Lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine.
• The parties to today’s meetings pledge to remain engaged to make sure the process moves forward in a timely and productive manner.

The talks between the parties lasted 4.5 hours. Russia stated that it had outlined "its principled approaches" and that separate teams of negotiators from the parties would begin contacts with Ukraine "in due course".

As a reminder, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed his readiness and willingness to send British troops to Ukraine.