US, Russia agree to start push towards peace in Ukraine, State Dept says

U.S. Secretary of State Rubio visits Saudi Arabia
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool
Source: REUTERS

The United States and Russia agreed on Tuesday to address "irritants" to the U.S.-Russia relationship and begin working on a path to end Russia's war in Ukraine, the State Department said, making clear the effort was in its early stages.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met for 4.5 hours with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia as a follow-up to U.S. President Donald Trump's telephone call with Russia President Vladimir Putin last week.

They discussed establishing a mechanism to address "irritants to our bilateral relationship" with the goal of normalizing diplomatic relations, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

The two sides also appointed high-level teams to work on ending the Ukraine conflict "as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides," she said.

The State Department said the meeting was an important step in an incipient process.

"One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace," Bruce said.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

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