The image of high-ranking Russian and American officials seated together around a significant negotiating table is remarkable.
For many, particularly Ukrainians, this development will be extremely difficult to accept.
In Saudi Arabia, Moscow achieved a notable milestone: after three years of intense warfare against its neighbor and being ostracized by the West, it found itself back at the “top table” of global diplomacy.
Moreover, Russia appeared to be the one orchestrating the proceedings.
Even with air raid sirens still blaring across Ukraine, this is the narrative that Moscow seeks to convey.
This was not a humiliated Russia, compelled to negotiate. Rather, it resembled the US extending an invitation to the aggressor to stipulate its terms.
Admittedly, US officials entered the discussions with the intention of gauging Russia’s seriousness about achieving peace.
However, Donald Trump had already formed his opinions. Following a phone call with Vladimir Putin last week, he declared that the Russian leader “wants to see an end to the loss of life”.
Trump had the option to demand a full withdrawal of Russian troops.
Instead, he seemed eager to negotiate a settlement with Moscow to conclude the conflict, as he assured voters, and move forward.
After over four hours of discussions in Riyadh, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the press, announcing that initial steps toward negotiations had been established, with teams slated to be formed on both sides.
He expressed confidence that Russia was prepared for a “genuine process” to end the war.
But what led him to this conviction?
Across the table was Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who remains under sanctions for what the US Treasury defined as Russia’s “brutal war of choice”.
When speaking to Russian media, Lavrov indicated that the US had proposed a cease-fire regarding attacks on energy infrastructure.
“We clarified that we have never jeopardized civilian energy supplies and only strike targets that directly support Ukraine’s military,” he claimed.
This statement is false.
I have personally observed the wreckage of civilian power facilities that have been specifically targeted by Russian missiles.
This is the nation that the US is attempting to engage, despite clear evidence of its untrustworthiness.
Russia has shown no indication of yielding any ground: why would it, especially when the Trump administration has signaled that Ukraine will never join NATO, as Moscow insists, and will not reclaim its occupied territory?
That’s why, for Ukraine’s allies, the sight of US and Russian officials sitting at the polished Saudi table is just the beginning of their apprehensions. It is also about their discussions.
“Laying the groundwork” for future investments sounds like an insinuation of lifting sanctions: no accountability for Russia’s acts of aggression, just incentives.
These are, of course, merely the earliest indications.
However, in Moscow, officials and state media sense the onset of Russia’s resurgence to its perceived rightful place: engaging with the US as an equal.
