U.S. and Russian officials concluded more than four hours of talks in Riyadh on Tuesday in their first high-level discussion aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting, closely watched by Kyiv and its European allies, saw Moscow introduce a significant new demand.
Russian negotiator Yuri Ushakov told Interfax that the talks went well and included discussions on conditions for a future meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Ushakov noted that a summit was unlikely to take place as early as next week.
During the session, Russia signalled a hardening of its position. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated from Moscow that preventing Ukraine’s NATO membership is not sufficient. “It is not enough for NATO not to admit Ukraine as a member,” she said, insisting that the alliance must also disavow its 2008 promise at the Bucharest summit that Kyiv would eventually join NATO. Zakharova warned that failing to address this issue could continue to “poison the atmosphere on the European continent.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently argued that NATO membership is essential to secure Kyiv's sovereignty and independence. Meanwhile, European leaders expressed concern that a rushed deal between the United States and Russia might ignore Ukraine’s security interests, reward Russia for its military actions, and leave Moscow with greater leverage in the region.
Critics have pointed out that President Trump’s team appears to have already ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and questioned the feasibility of Kyiv regaining all of its lost territory. U.S. officials, however, maintain that their position is a realistic acknowledgment of current circumstances.
As talks continue to evolve, Ukrainian officials have reiterated that no agreement can be reached on their behalf without Ukraine’s direct involvement. The international community now awaits further developments as diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict advance.
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