France President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Paris, February 17, 2025 (Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty)

EA on France 24 English and RTE: Ukraine — The US-Russia Talks Over Moscow’s Invasion

Monday’s Coverage: Zelensky — I Will Never Accept US-Russia Decision Without Kyiv’s Involvement

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1614 GMT:

Ukrainian officials say the Trump Administration is “appeasing” Moscow amid US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia.

They noted the discussions started just hours after Russian attacks, including with 176 drones, killing two civilians and wounded 26 across Ukraine.

One drone hit the top floor of a high-rise residential building in Dolynska in the Kirovohrad region in central Ukraine. A mother and her two children were injured and taken to hospital.

Just after the talks concluded in Riyadh, air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv, and millions of Ukrainians were told by text message to seek shelter because of the threat of Russian ballistic missiles.

Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak noted:

UPDATE 1532 GMT:

At a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has reiterated:

Ukraine, Europe in a broad sense – and this includes the European Union, Turkey, and the UK – should be involved in conversations and the development of the necessary security guarantees with America regarding the fate of our part of the world.

Zelensky has postponed to March 10 his trip to Saudi Arabia, scheduled for Wednesday, avoiding any suggestion that it is linked to US-Russia talks.

UPDATE 1349 GMT:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hailed “very useful” talks as the two sides “did not just listen to each other, but heard each other”.

“I have every reason to believe that the American side understands our position,” he said.

Lavrov cited agreement to ensure “the speediest possible” appointment of ambassadors to both countries and the removal of barriers that “for many years, and primarily the Biden Administration in the last four years, erected between our diplomatic missions”.

He spoke of “creating conditions” for broader US-Russia cooperation, including on resumption of “consultations on geopolitical issues” and removal of “the artificial barriers in the way of mutually beneficial economic cooperation”.

Then he set out Russia’s precondition that any deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine is “completely unacceptable”, using Donald Trump for justification.

We noted that President Trump was the first of Western leaders to say that dragging Ukraine into NATO was one of the main [reasons behind] what is happening….

And we explained today that any appearance by armed forces from the NATO countries under some flag, under the European flag or under flags, doesn’t change anything.

UPDATE 1334 GMT:

The US delegation in the Russia talks is continuing to avoid any specifics.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said, “We know just the practical reality is that there is going to be some discussion of territory, and there’s going to be discussion of security guarantees. Those are fundamental basics that will undergird and underlie any type of discussion.”

However, he immediately retreated into an appeal to Donald Trump’s ego:

I think the most important part is the President has stated his desire, his determination to end this war, to end the killing that is going on….It is not in the interest of either country. It’s not in the interest of the world, and certainly not in the interest of the United States and Europe.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also played to Trump: “What’s important to understand is two things. The first is [that] the only leader in the world who can make this happen, who can even bring people together to begin to talk about it in a serious way, is President Trump.”

Rubio did hint that Ukraine might have to be consulted at some point, “The second thing I would say is that in order for a conflict to end, everyone involved in that conflict has to be okay with it has to be it has to be acceptable to them.”

And he indicated Europe had a role, but only to remove sanctions on Russia: “The European Union is going to have to be at the table at some point, because they have sanctions as well that have been imposed.”

Waltz passed the buck on Ukraine’s security by calling for a “European-led security guarantee” with increased defense spending, while Rubio portrayed resolution of Moscow’s invasion as a future of economic possibility for the US and Russia:

We should engage in identifying the extraordinary opportunities that exist should this conflict come to an acceptable end…to partner with Russians geopolitically, on issues of common interest, and frankly economically.

The two men avoided comment on whether the US might recognize occupied Crimea as Russian territory or remove Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov from the American sanctions list.

UPDATE 1304 GMT:

Meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said:

As a country, we want peace; we want the war to end. However, we want the end of this war to be based on certain security guarantees.

We expect these security guarantees to be provided by the US, the EU, Turkey, and all of Europe.

If Türkiye can provide Ukraine with the necessary security guarantees, we would like to see Türkiye involved in this process as well.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Ukraine’s new Embassy building, Zelensky made clear that Ukraine will never compromise on its territorial integrity or sovereignty: “We will never, under any circumstances, recognize our temporarily occupied territories as part of Russia. They are part of Ukraine.”

He reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to reclaiming its occupied territories through diplomacy.

UPDATE 1252 GMT:

The US-Russia talks have ended in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with no details on substance.

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce put a priority on general realtions, saying the two sides agreed to “address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalize the operation of our respective diplomatic missions”.

Then she referred to Ukraine, saying high-level teams would be appointed for “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”.

She added that the US and Russia will begin to look at “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”.

Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said “a serious conversation on all issues…went well”.

He also referred to the high-level teams but avoided any commitment on a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin: “We are ready for this, but it is still difficult to talk about a specific date for the meeting of the two leaders.”

UPDATE 1135 GMT:

A network linked to the Russian State is behind an exhibition of photographs, displayed on banners in city squares, in Germany.

“Children of War: Alley of Angels”, launched in June 2022, is a call for Europe’s leaders to end fighting. The exhibition’s organizers claim they are not affiliated with any government, and are driven by a desire to end the suffering of innocent young people.

But “people familiar with parts of the networks” and documents depict the exhibition as part of an effort to penetrate European protest movements and erode support for governments supplying weapons to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s invasion.

The documents include intercepted progress reports from members of the network in Germany to a handler in Moscow.

At the center of the network is a Soviet-born schoolteacher living in Germany, Oksana Walter, assisted by at least two other Soviet émigrés. Supporters include a Russian news outlet run by a retired colonel in the GRU, Russia’s foreign military intelligence service.

“European intelligence sources who shared the documents” named the network’s Moscow handler as a current GRU military intelligence officer, Vitaly Konovalov.

A man who answered a mobile phone number linked to Konovalov ended the call when told he was talking to a journalist. Konovalov did not reply to written messages.

UPDATE 1114 GMT:

Having been at the Munich Security Conference last weekend and the UAE on Monday, Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky is now in Turkey.

Zelensky is expected to visit Saudi Arabia tomorrow.

UPDATE 1049 GMT:

Two civilians have been killed and 26 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses downed 103 of 176 drones launched by Russia on 11 regions overnight. Another 67 were lost to electronic counter-measures.

The fatalities were a person in the Donetsk region in the east and an 80-year-old man in Zaporizhzhia in the south. Eight people were injured in the Kherson region, seven in Dnipropetrovsk, and four in Kharkiv.

UPDATE 1005 GMT:

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has pointed to Russia’s demand, in talks with the US, for Ukraine as a “neutral” and demilitarized country.

He cited Moscow’s red lines on “security-related issues related to defence or military alliances”. And he indicated that the Kremlin would open up issues about the US-Europe military relationship, saying “a lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent”.

Peskov’s stance on military issues was in contrast to accommodation on the economic front, saying Russia would not dictate to Ukraine over Kyiv’s attempt to join the European Union.

“We are talking about integration and economic integration processes. And here, of course, no one can dictate anything to any country, and we are not going to do that,” he said.

But the spokesman pointed to Russia’s ongoing effort to exclude Kyiv from any significant negotiations: “Putin himself said that he would be ready to negotiate with Zelensky if necessary but the legal basis of agreements needs discussion considering the reality that [Ukraine President Volodymyr] Zelensky’s legitimacy can be questioned.”

UPDATE 0950 GMT:

Russia’s demands for long-term occupation of part of Ukraine, with the remainder neutral and demilitarized, may take some time to get traction with the Trump Administration.

But Moscow could get a quick return with the lifting of US sanctions.

Vladimir Putin’s ambitions are represented by the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, who also negotiated with the Trump camp just before the start of the first Presidential term.

Dmitriev says Russia has submitted a number of proposals to the US in the trade and economic sphere, expecting progress in the next two to three months.

American business has lost more than $300 billion by leaving the Russian market. Accordingly, finding joint economic paths and positive solutions to issues is extremely important, mainly for the United States and for many other countries that are beginning to understand that the Russian market is extremely attractive and that it is necessary to be present in it.

He said Russia and the US need to create joint projects, for example in the Arctic, and he proclaimed:

US oil majors have done very well in Russia. We believe that, at some point, they will return – why would they pass up the opportunities Russia has provided for access to its natural resources?

In January 2017, Dmitriev met Erik Prince, the founder of the US mercenary group Blackwater, to sound out the possibilities for Trump’s cooperation with the Kremlin.

He flattered the Trump delegation in Riyadh, “All I can say is that they are great problem solvers. And I think President Trump is a great problem solver.”

A “Russian academic close to senior Russian diplomats” said teh Kremlin would seek the lifting of sanctions on senior officials and some major Russian businessmen, and potentially some forms of energy cooperation.

In return, “Putin could consider it a compromise to demonstrate his readiness not to go further” and seize more Ukrainian territory, “since the initiative is now on Russia’s side and because in the Russian leadership there are people who think we should not stop at these four regions”.

UPDATE 0937 GMT:

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, that the European Union wants to “work alongside the US to end the bloodshed and help secure the just and lasting peace that Ukraine and its people rightfully deserve.

Von der Leyen presented Kellogg with “Europe’s plans to scale up defence production and spending, reinforcing both European and Ukrainian military capabilities”.

Reaffirming the EU’s commitment to a just and lasting peace, the President reiterated that any resolution must respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, backed by strong security guarantees

As the President made it clear: now is a critical moment.

Von der Leyen noted that the EU has sent aid of €135 billion ($145 billion) to Ukraine, more than any other ally. This included $52 billion in military assistance, putting the EU’s contribution on par with that of the US.

She outlined Europe’s plans to ramp up defense production and spending, aimed at strengthening both European and Ukrainian military capabilities.

European Council President António Costa added after his own meeting with Kellogg:

UPDATE 0930 GMT:

European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera says that, with Donald Trump ending the “trustful relationship” between US and Europe, the European Union should enable the predictability and stability lacking in Washington.

“We need to stick to our strengths and principles,” she said. “We need to be flexible but we cannot transact on human rights nor are we going to transact on the unity of Europe, and we are not going to transact on democracy and values.

Ribera said of US policymaking: “I do not see any predictability, stability or affordability in these announcements. This is a little bit shocking.”

UPDATE 0831 GMT:

The US-Russia talks are underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

US and Russia delegations meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to discuss Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, February 18, 2025

In a Security Council meeting on Monday, Moscow’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya set out the opening Russian position.

He declared that Ukraine has “irrevocably lost” Crimea and four regions: Donetsk and Luhansk in the east and Zaporizhia and Kherson in the south. Negotiations should “correct” the situation, with Ukraine ceding the remaining parts of the four regions — all of which were “annexed” by Vladimir Putin in September 2022 — that it controls.

While Russia holds almost all of Luhansk, Ukraine regained about 30% of the other regions in a counter-offensive in autumn 2022.

Nebenzya also demanded that Ukraine become a “demilitarized” neutral state, not joining any alliances or security blocs.

Echoing Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Nebenzya said European countries must be excluded from negotiations, as they are “incapable” of reaching any agreement with Russia.

UPDATE 0807 GMT:

Quote tweeting a hard-right propagandist, Donald Trump’s unelected co-President Elon Musk praised the Russian delegation, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as they arrived in Saudi Arabia last night.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: In an emergency summit in Paris, Europe’s leaders have pledged more support for Ukraine’s resistance of Russia’s three-year invasion.

The summit was called in the aftermath of the Trump Administration’s rejection of European and Ukrainian security at last week’s Munich Security Conference, and in anticipation of direct US-Russia talks on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia.

Called by French President Emmanuel Macron, Monday’s gathering included the leaders of Poland, Germany, the UK, Italy and Denmark, representing the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Macron summarized after the meeting:

Von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa posted on social media:

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasized that peace in Ukraine and European security are two sides of the same coin. He said Spain is ready to support Ukraine as long as Russia’s invasion continues, and warned against any pre-mature or rushed ceasefire.

“In the face of adversity, we need more Europe, more European Union,” he said.

Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also warned against a ceasefire that would not be lasting:

Russia is threatening all of Europe now, unfortunately.

The most important thing here and now is that the Ukrainians get more of what they need so that they don’t lose this war, and so that they are in the best possible position.

And UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a call to “maintain the principle of peace through strength” by “making sure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position”.

“We need to ramp it up,” Starmer said, as this is the only way to secure a “lasting, enduring and just agreement that secures the sovereignty of Ukraine”.

He added the challenge tha any guarantees offered to Ukraine must include a US backstop as “the only way” to deter Russia from future attacks.

Amid his visit to the UAE — and reportedly to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a day after the US-Russia meeting — Zelensky spoke by phone with Macron.

We share a common vision: security guarantees must be robust and reliable. Any other decision without such guarantees—such as a fragile ceasefire — would only serve as another deception by Russia and a prelude to a new Russian war against Ukraine or other European nations.

While agreeing on the need to bolster military and financial backing of Ukraine, the European leaders divided over deployment of troops in the country to oversee a ceasefire.

The UK, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands agreed on involvement in principle. However, Prime Minister Donald Tusk ruled out Polish troops and Germany’s Olaf Scholz dismissed the idea as “a long way off”.

Zelensky Warns Against US-Russia “Quick Win”

Zelensky warned against a US-Russia “quick win” of a declared ceasefire, bypassing Ukraine and Europe, as Donald Trump seeks the approval of Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with Germany’s ARD broadcast on Monday, the President said:

The US is now saying things that are very favourable to Putin … because they want to please him. They want to meet quickly and have a quick win. But what they want – just a ceasefire – is not a win.

We will not sign just anything in order to be applauded … the fate of our state for generations to come [is at stake].

I don’t think anyone is interested in an Afghanistan 2.0,” he said.

Zelensky emphasized that Europe will be in a difficult position if it cannot rely on US security assistance. While “readiness has increased” in recent years, “in terms of troop strength, the number of combat troops, the fleet, the air force, the drones … I honestly think that Europe is weak today.”

“There will definitely not be a Ukrainian victory without US support,” he assessed.

Thus, Zelensky had told Donald Trump that “the Americans should be a part of this, because otherwise we might lose our unity”.

He did not explain how Trump could be convinced to defy Putin by providing the necessary security guarantee for Ukraine.

Asked about the security guarantee, Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg said evasively:

I’ve been with President Trump, and the policy has always been: you take no options off the table. Before any type of discussion and security guarantees is finalized, of course those discussions are going to take place. Answers to those questions will be determined as you come up with the final process.

Kellogg is not at the US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia. Instead, he will be in Brussels, meeting Von der Leyen and Costa, before travelling to Poland to see Polish President Andrzej Duda.