Washington and Moscow to appoint negotiators for Ukraine war talks

Russia and the United States will appoint teams to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, following high-level talks in Riyadh. This marks the first official discussions between the two nations since the 2022 invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized his country's exclusion from the talks, emphasizing the need for fair negotiations that include European nations. He highlighted the importance of involving countries like Turkiye in discussions about security guarantees. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to establish a consultation mechanism to address issues in their relationship. Lavrov reiterated Russia's opposition to NATO troop deployments in Ukraine during potential ceasefire discussions.