First US-Russia Meetings Held in Riyadh Ahead of Official Saudi Talks

Even though the official US-Russia talks on Ukraine are set to begin later on Tuesday in Riyadh, the first contact between the two delegations has already happened. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), revealed that he has already met with members of US President Donald Trump’s team in the Saudi capital.

“All I can say is they’re great problem-solvers. And I think President Trump is a great problem-solver,” Dmitriev said during a CNN interview in the early hours of Feb. 18.

While the US representatives have not made any direct promises to Russia, Dmitriev pointed out their willingness to engage in discussions.

“I think the promise is: Let’s have dialogue,attend let’s figure out the best solution for our countries, for other countries, for the global community, he said.

Dmitriev denied claims that Russia is seeking to ease sanctions during these meetings. Instead, he said the two countries could both benefit from economic cooperation.

“I think it’s very important to build bridges. I think US-Russia relations are very important for the world,” he added.

The main negotiations between Russian and US officials on resetting their countries’ fractured relations and making a tentative start on trying to end Russia’s war in Ukraine will officially begin later today, Feb. 18, in Riyadh.

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Both sides played down the chances that the first high-level meeting between the countries since US President Donald Trump took office would result in a breakthrough.

CNN sources suggest that Dmitriev has been brought in to help restore economic ties between the two nations. High-ranking Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, will also attend the talks.

Meanwhile, Ukraine remains on the sidelines. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb.17 that Kyiv is not involved in the negotiations and has no plans to recognize any outcomes from these discussions.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the talks between Washington and Moscow are preliminary and “real negotiations” will include Ukraine and Europe.

“Ultimately, it will reach a point when you are  –  if it’s real negotiations, and we’re not there yet, but if that were to happen, Ukraine will have to be involved, because they’re the one that were invaded, and the Europeans will have to be involved because they have sanctions on Putin and Russia as well, and they’ve contributed to this effort,” Rubio said.