February 18, 2025 08:31 GMT
GLOBAL POLITICAL RISK: US-Russia Talks Underway As UK PM Proposes US 'Backstop'
GLOBAL POLITICAL RISK
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Talks are underway in the Saudi capital Riyadh between delegations from the US and Russia in what could prove the first step towards peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. The US has painted the discussions as preliminary talks to infer whether Russia is serious about holding eventual ceasefire negotiations. Russia, on the other hand, has said the talks will cover "the entire complex of Russian-American relations”, preparations for peace talks, and planning for a meeting between Presidents Putin and Trump.
- Much of the meeting set to be behind closed doors, so headlines could come out sporadically or may be restricted to official pressers or readouts.
- No Ukrainian delegation is taking part in these discussions, with the US claiming that as they are not peace negotiations Ukrainian representation is not needed at this stage. Speaking in the UAE on 17 Feb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "We cannot recognise [peace] agreements...without us,".
- Some of Ukraine's European allies met in Paris on 17 Feb. UK PM Sir Keir Starmer's proposals for UK and US troops to serve in Ukraine as peacekeepers have exposed cracks within the alliance. Politico: "German Chancellor Olaf Scholz seemed quietly furious when he told reporters he was a “little irritated” by the talk, which he called “completely premature” and “highly inappropriate.” Polish PM Donald Tusk made clear he doesn’t want his army to contribute, while the FT reported that Italian leader and Trump pal Giorgia Meloni [...] told leaders that sending troops was “the most complex [option] and least likely to be effective."
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