US and Russia to appoint teams to end Ukraine war during talks, despite Kyiv’s absence
China said it was ‘glad to see all efforts committed to peace’ by Moscow and Washington, but stressed that Ukraine must eventually be included.
Russia and the United States plan to appoint negotiators to seek an end to the Ukraine war, US officials said on Tuesday, with Washington rejecting suggestions that Kyiv would be sidelined and China calling for “all parties” to be included in peace talks.
Confirmation of the plan followed a meeting between senior envoys from both countries in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible framework for ending the bloody conflict, and opened a wider gulf between them and those – including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – who want Europe involved.
In the most high-level, in-person exchange between the two sides since Russia invaded its neighbour nearly three years ago, Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the US team, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov led Moscow’s.
The talks’ lack of representation from Kyiv or any other European capitals has drawn widespread criticism on the continent. French President Emmanuel Macron called an emergency meeting of EU leaders at the Élysée Palace on Monday to develop a unified position on the peace process.