US and Russian officials met in Riyadh for over four hours, marking Moscow’s return to high-level diplomacy despite its ongoing war in Ukraine. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that initial negotiation steps were agreed upon, with teams set to continue talks. Russia showed no signs of making concessions, while the Trump administration has already agreed that Ukraine will not join NATO. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Moscow does not target civilian energy infrastructure despite evidence to the contrary. Moscow officials and state media view the talks as Russia reclaiming its status as an equal to the US.
