Ukraine war: Who is attending Russia and US peace talks?

Published

10 months ago

February 18, 2025

admin

Top US and Russian officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday with the aim of restoring ties and setting up negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has said the discussions in Riyadh could pave the way for a face-to-face meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin “very soon”.

It comes after the pair held a ground-breaking lengthy phone call last Wednesday.

Follow peace talk and Ukraine war updates live

Riyadh, which is also involved in talks with Washington over the future of the Gaza Strip, has played a role in early contacts between the Trump administration.

But who will be involved in the discussions tomorrow?

Marco Rubio

Mr Trump’s secretary of state, who arrived in Riyadh on Monday, serves as the president’s chief foreign affairs adviser and the country’s top diplomat.

Mr Rubio, a former Florida senator, already spoke to Russian foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov over the phone on Saturday, discussing the war in Ukraine and other topics, according to readouts of the call from both countries.

The US president and Mr Rubio were adversaries when they both ran to be the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, launching public insults at one another.

But over the past few years Mr Rubio has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Mr Trump’s views, particularly on foreign policy – so much so that he was one of three final contenders for Mr Trump’s vice-presidential pick for this term, eventually losing out to JD Vance.

Before he was made secretary of state, the 53-year-old said Ukraine needed to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia rather than focus on regaining all territory that Russia has taken in the last decade.

“I’m not on Russia’s side – but unfortunately the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement,” he said in September.

Michael Waltz

US national security adviser Michael Waltz will be alongside Mr Rubio during the US-Russia talks.

The 51-year-old is a Green Beret veteran who served in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa.

Since 2019, he has represented a congressional district in the House, where he’s a member of the Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees.

Before his appointment in Mr Trump’s cabinet, he co-wrote an article in The Economist that laid out his view of how the US could move to convince Russia to end the war: either by offering to ease sanctions or threatening greater assistance to Kyiv.

“America can use economic leverage, including lifting the pause on exports of liquefied natural gas and cracking down on Russia’s illicit oil sales, to bring Mr Putin to the table,” he wrote in the 2 November piece, co-authored with Matthew Kroenig, a former Pentagon strategist.

“If he refuses to talk, Washington can, as Mr Trump argued, provide more weapons to Ukraine with fewer restrictions on their use. Faced with this pressure, Mr Putin will probably take the opportunity to wind the conflict down.”

He said that he didn’t want Moscow to be able to declare its actions in Ukraine a victory.

Instead, he wrote that requiring Mr Putin to accept a deal whereby Ukraine remains an independent state, closely tied to the West “would be a strategic defeat for the Russian leader and seen as such in Beijing”.

Steve Witkoff

Mr Witkoff, Mr Trump’s special Middle East envoy, is a long-time friend of the president’s and a fellow billionaire real estate developer.

The 67-year-old, who has known Mr Trump for decades, is a Republican donor and served on one of the president’s Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like Mr Trump, he made his fortune in real estate in both New York and Florida, and brought family members – his wife, Lauren, and sons Alex and Zach – into the Witkoff Group.

He is regularly seen bonding with Mr Trump on the golf course, and was present on the course in Florida during the apparent assassination attempt on the president last September.

Mr Witkoff has been busy in his new Middle East role, having been Mr Trump’s man in the room for the extremely fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations.

In a Fox News interview on Sunday, he confirmed he was heading to Riyadh, adding: “And hopefully we’ll make some really good progress.”

Sergei Lavrov

Sergei Lavrov is Russia’s longstanding foreign minister, having taken the role back in 2004.

The highly decorated Kremlin official has been described as “the Jedi master of the dark arts of Russian diplomacy” by Sky News’ international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn.

He said Mr Lavrov is “a diplomatic bruiser who cajoles and bullies where he sees fit” who has been known, like others at the Kremlin, to make outlandish claims about the reality of the war.

Initially, when rumours of a Russian invasion sparked, he said it would never happen – then once it began, he for some time insisted that it hadn’t.

The 74-year-old made headlines when he unintentionally made the audience at an international conference in India laugh in March 2023 by attempting to portray his country as the victim of the war in Ukraine.

“The war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us using Ukrainian people, of course, influenced the policy of Russia, including energy policy,” he said to a chorus of laughs and groans.

Yuri Ushakov

Mr Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov will join Mr Lavrov or the Russian side of the table.

Americans will be familiar with the Kremlin official, as he served as the Ambassador of Russia to the United States from 1998 until 2008 before taking up his current post in 2012.

What exactly is the meeting for?

Specifically, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the meeting would focus on restoring US-Russia relations and setting up talks for a potential Ukraine peace deal.

The talks will be among the first high-level in-person discussions in years between Russian and US officials and are meant to precede a meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin.

Mr Rubio has said the coming weeks and days would determine whether Mr Putin is serious about making peace.

Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, is not expected to attend the meeting, as he is at NATO’s HQ in Brussels, but he has been working with Mr Trump on a plan to broker a war-ending deal with Russia.

They have offered scant details about such a plan, nor any timescale for its implementation.

This meeting comes off the back of Mr Trump’s phone call with Mr Putin last week.

Writing about the call on Truth Social, the US president said: “As we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.

“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.”

Ukraine and Europe are not invited

The US and Russia have excluded Ukraine and Europe from the meeting, as tensions grow between America and European countries.

It’s prompted European leaders to put together their own impromptu talks in Paris, with Sir Keir Starmer saying: “We cannot allow any divisions in the alliance to distract from the external enemies we face.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed his country has been left out of the talks in Saudi Arabia, saying any negotiations without them will have “no result”.

“And we cannot acknowledge anything, any arrangements about us, that were made without us. And we will not recognise such agreements,” he told reporters on Monday.

Speaking to Sky News’ US partner network NBC News, Ukraine’s president thanked Donald Trump for his support, but added there is not “any leader in the world who can really make a deal with Vladimir Putin without us”.

Asked whether he believed Mr Trump was negotiating in good faith, Mr Zelenskyy said: “I hope so. I hope so. Yes, I count on it.

“I trust Trump because he’s the president of the US, because your people voted for him and I respect their choice.”

In an interview on CBS News on Sunday, Mr Rubio moved to reassure Europe and Ukraine that they would be part of negotiations further down the line if they were to materialise.

He said: “If it’s real negotiations, and we’re not there yet, but if that were to happen, Ukraine will have to be involved because they’re the one that were invaded, and the Europeans will have to be involved because… they have sanctions on Putin and Russia as well, and they’ve contributed to this effort.”

US

‘Many options’ on table for Venezuela as US mulls land attacks on drug traffickers

Published

7 hours ago

December 2, 2025

admin

'Many options' on table for Venezuela as US mulls land attacks on drug traffickers

“Many options” are on the table to deal with Venezuelan drug gangs, the White House has said, as the US considers attacking on land.

President Trump is meeting his national security team on Monday and could discuss what would be a major escalation in strikes that have so far only targeted boats.

Karoline Leavitt, the president’s press secretary, did not detail what the meeting would focus on. However, Mr Trump said last week that land strikes would start “very soon”.

“There’s many options at the president’s disposal that are on the table – and I’ll let him speak on those,” Ms Leavitt told reporters.

American forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats it claims were carrying narcotics to its shores over the last few months.

The US has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being involved in the drugs trade – a claim he denies.

Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder and that President Trump’s true motivation is to oust Mr Maduro and access its oil.

President Maduro – widely considered a dictator by the West – said on Monday that Venezuelans are ready “to defend [the country] and lead it to the path of peace”.

“We have lived through 22 weeks of aggression that can only be described as psychological terrorism,” he said.

Concerns have been raised over the legality of the US attacks, which the Pentagon has sought to justify by designating the gangs as foreign terror organisations.

Tensions remain high over America’s large deployment in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, which includes its flagship aircraft carrier and thousands of troops.

The US has released videos of boats being blown up but has not provided evidence – such as photos of drugs – to support the smuggling claims.

Controversy also surrounds the first incident, on 2 September, in which 11 people were killed – with a follow-up strike targeting the boat after the first attack left two survivors in the water.

US media reported defence secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order beforehand that everyone on board should be killed.

However, there are concerns about the legality of the second strike if the survivors posed no threat.

Mr Hegseth dismissed the reporting as “fake news” and insisted all actions in the region are compliant with US and international law.

“Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization,” he said on X.

President Trump said on Sunday he would not have wanted a second strike and that Mr Hegseth had denied giving such an order.

Ms Leavitt confirmed on Monday that the boat had been hit by a second strike – but denied Mr Hegseth gave the order for the follow-up.

Instead, she said he had authorised US navy vice admiral Frank Bradley to attack and the admiral acted “well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the US was eliminated”.

As the US weighs its next steps, Mr Trump said on Sunday he had spoken to President Maduro by phone and that the conversation went neither “well or badly”.

In recent days, he also stated that Venezuela’s airspace should be considered closed – with the South American nation calling it a “colonial threat” and “illegal, and unjustified aggression”.

US

White House issues update on Donald Trump’s health as president undergoes MRI scan

Published

7 hours ago

December 2, 2025

admin

White House issues update on Donald Trump's health as president undergoes MRI scan

The White House has revealed details of Donald Trump’s recent medical evaluation involving a scan of his cardiovascular system and abdomen.

The US president, 79, underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in October, which was confirmed in a memo from his doctor, Sean P Barbabella.

The White House physician wrote that the cardiovascular and abdominal imaging was “perfectly normal”.

“The purpose of this imaging is preventive: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function,” said Dr Barbabella.

He added that there was “no evidence of arterial narrowing impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels”.

“The heart chambers are normal in size, the vessel walls appear smooth and health, and there are no signs of inflammation, or clotting.”

As for the abdominal imaging, he wrote that “all major organs appear very healthy and well-perfused”.

“Everything evaluated is functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic concerns.”

He said the imaging was done “because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health”.

While speaking to reporters on Sunday, the US president said he didn’t know what part of his body was examined but added: “It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.”

He described the results of the MRI as “perfect”.

In 2022, Donald Trump described himself as “the healthiest president that’s ever lived” but in July was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) after noticing “mild swelling” in his lower legs.

Dr Barbabella said CVI, which causes blood to pool in the veins, was a “benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70”.

Concerns were also raised in July about photos which showed bruising on the back of Mr Trump’s hand that had been covered with make-up.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified this was “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin” to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

US

Luigi Mangione shown videos of UnitedHealthcare CEO killing as defence seeks to bar evidence

Published

7 hours ago

December 2, 2025

admin

Luigi Mangione shown videos of UnitedHealthcare CEO killing as defence seeks to bar evidence

Luigi Mangione has watched surveillance videos of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson at a court appearance.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges over the killing of Mr Thompson. The state charges carry the possibility of life in prison, while federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The 27-year-old’s lawyers are seeking to bar evidence, including a 9mm handgun and a notebook in which prosecutors say he described his intent to “wack” a health insurance executive, from his New York state trial.

Both were allegedly found in a backpack Mangione had with him when he was arrested.

Mr Thompson, 50, was shot dead on 4 December last year as he walked to a New York City hotel for his company’s annual investor conference, sparking a five-day manhunt.

Mangione was arrested after a McDonald’s employee in Pennsylvania alerted authorities to a customer who looked like the suspect in the killing.

Mangione, wearing a white shirt with a red checked pattern under a grey suit, watched without emotion as prosecutors played surveillance videos showing Mr Thompson’s killing on a Manhattan pavement, as well as his own arrest, at a court appearance in New York on Monday.

The videos, including footage from the McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania where he was arrested, kicked off a hearing on Mangione’s fight to bar evidence from his trial, including the gun prosecutors say matches the one used in the early-hours attack.

After getting state terrorism charges thrown out in September, Mangione’s lawyers are focusing on what they argue was unconstitutional police conduct threatening his right to a fair trial.

They are seeking to block prosecutors from using evidence allegedly discovered in his backpack during his arrest, and statements he made to police, arguing that he was illegally searched and questioned.

Eliminating the gun and notebook would be huge wins for Mangione’s defence, and a major setback for prosecutors, depriving them of a possible murder weapon and evidence they say points to motive.

Mangione also faces seven counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and one count of possessing a false identification.

Judge Gregory Carro dismissed two terrorism counts against Mangione in September.

He found that prosecutors had not presented enough evidence that Mangione intended to intimidate health insurance workers or influence government policy.

Trial dates have not been set in either the state or federal cases.

Mangione has been held in federal custody in Brooklyn since his arrest.