Ukraine, meanwhile, says Russia launched 176 drones overnight, most of which were destroyed
(From left) US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; National Security Advisor Mike Waltz; Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud; National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban; the Russian President’s Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov, and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at Riyadh’s Diriyah Palace, on Tuesday. PIC/AFP
Senior officials from Russia and the US met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to begin talks on improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. Delegations led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh. The meeting marks another pivotal step by the Trump administration to reverse US policy on isolating Russia and is meant to pave the way for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
ADVERTISEMENT
Trump earlier this month upended US policy toward Ukraine and Russia by saying he and Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war. Ukrainian officials aren’t taking part in the meeting, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that his country won’t accept the outcome if Kyiv doesn’t take part. Rubio was accompanied by US national security adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while Lavrov sat next to the Kremlin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and national security adviser Musaed al Alban joined Rubio, Lavrov and others for the start of the meeting but were expected to leave early in the talks. Ushakov said Monday the talks would be “purely bilateral” and would not include Ukrainian officials.
The talks mark a significant expansion of US-Russian contacts nearly three years into a war that has seen ties fall to the lowest level in decades. Meanwhile, France called an emergency meeting of European Union countries and the UK on Monday to decide how to respond. French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said he spoke by phone to Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky following the meeting.
As the meeting progressed, Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with drones, according to Kyiv’s military. The Ukrainian air force said Russian troops launched a barrage of 176 drones at Ukraine overnight, most of which were destroyed or disabled by jamming. One Russian drone struck a residential building in Dolynska in Kirovohrad region, injuring a mother and her two children and prompting an evacuation of 38 apartments, the regional administration reported. Four more residential buildings were damaged by drone debris in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine, according to local officials.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
