Russia would possibly not settle for Nato troops in Ukraine, Lavrov says after talks with US

Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov has mentioned his nation would possibly not settle for peacekeeping forces from Nato international locations in Ukraine underneath any peace deal, following high-level talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia.

“Any look by way of militia underneath another flag does no longer exchange anything else. It’s in fact utterly unacceptable,” he mentioned.

Russia and the United States mentioned that they had agreed to nominate groups to begin negotiating the top of the battle.

“As of late is step one of an extended and hard adventure, however a very powerful one”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned following the assembly.

Ukraine used to be no longer invited to the talks, which its president Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned used to be a “marvel”.

However US President Donald Trump mentioned he used to be “upset” by way of Ukraine’s response.

Chatting with journalists at Mar-A-Lago, he used to be requested by way of the BBC what his message used to be to Ukrainians who would possibly really feel betrayed.

“I pay attention that they are disenchanted about no longer having a seat, neatly, they have had a seat for 3 years and a very long time prior to that. This can have been settled very simply,” he mentioned.

After the assembly between US and Russian officers in Saudi Arabia, Trump mentioned he used to be “a lot more assured”.

“They had been superb. Russia desires to do one thing. They wish to prevent the savage barbarianism.”

“I believe I’ve the facility to finish this battle,” he mentioned.

Requested in regards to the prospect of Eu international locations sending troops to Ukraine, he mentioned: “In the event that they wish to do this, that is nice I am excited by it.”

The assembly in Riyadh used to be the primary time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that Russian and American delegations are recognized to have met face-to-face.

On the talks had been US Center East envoy Steve Witkoff and US Nationwide Safety Consultant Mike Waltz, in addition to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov and the pinnacle of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev.

Afterwards, Lavrov mentioned the United States and Russia would appoint ambassadors to one another’s international locations once imaginable and create prerequisites to “repair co-operation in complete”.

“It used to be an overly helpful dialog. We listened to one another, and we heard each and every different,” he mentioned.

He reiterated Russia’s earlier place that any growth of the Nato defence alliance – and Ukraine becoming a member of it – could be a “direct danger” to Russia.

Rubio in the meantime mentioned he used to be “satisfied” Russia used to be “prepared to start to interact in a major procedure” to finish the war.

“There needs to be concessions made by way of either side. We aren’t going to predetermine what the ones are.”

Eu leaders held a hastily-arranged assembly in Paris on Monday to speak about their reaction to the plain rapprochement between Russia and the United States underneath President Trump – however didn’t agree a unified place.

UK Top Minister Sir Keir Starmer mentioned any Ukraine deal will require a “US backstop” to discourage Russia from attacking its neighbour once more and mentioned he would imagine deploying UK troops to Ukraine.

However Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a key Nato best friend, mentioned for his phase, discussing sending troops to Ukraine at the present used to be “utterly untimely”.

Poland’s Top Minister Donald Tusk additionally mentioned he does no longer intend to ship troops, and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni – the one Eu chief to wait Trump’s inauguration – expressed doubts.

She advised the assembly in Paris that deploying Eu troops could be “probably the most complicated and the least efficient” means of securing peace in Ukraine.

In Riyadh, Rubio mentioned the Eu Union used to be going to “should be on the desk in the future as a result of they have got sanctions as neatly which were imposed”.

At the absence of Ukraine on the assembly, he insisted “no person is being side-lined”.

“Everybody keen on that war needs to be OK with it, it needs to be appropriate to them,” he added.

Ukrainian chief Volodymyr Zelensky regarded visibly drained and disenchanted when he gave his response to the assembly all the way through a information convention in Turkey.

“We wish the whole thing to be truthful and in order that no person makes a decision anything else in the back of our again,” he mentioned.

“You can not make selections with out Ukraine on how one can finish the battle in Ukraine.”

He’s going to be alarmed by way of all of the smiles on each American and Russian faces in Riyadh, however he’ll know that he can do little to switch no matter they agree on over his head.

The Ukrainian president may even know that his nation’s possibilities of resisting – let by myself defeating – Russian troops with out American assist are very narrow.