Meeting between high-level delegations of the US and Russia - the door is open

Most observers believe that this event is not only a turning point in bilateral relations, but also an important signal for global strategic stability issues, especially in the context of increasing geopolitical tensions.

The US delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. On the Russian side, the Kremlin confirmed that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov will attend.

This is the highest-level direct discussion between the two countries in many years, coming a few days after an hour-and-a-half long phone call between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The event in Riyadh is also seen as a preparation for a Russia-US summit expected to take place soon.

Relations between the United States and Russia have escalated, especially after the conflict in Ukraine broke out on February 24, 2022, as Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov recently commented that the relationship is on the brink of breaking down.

The US imposition of sanctions on Moscow and provision of military aid to Ukraine have pushed the two countries into a spiral of confrontation. Therefore, this meeting is a sign that the two sides have begun to seek a platform for dialogue to reduce tensions and improve relations.

According to researcher Zhang Hong of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the recent interactions between the heads of state of the United States and Russia as well as contact activities such as the meeting in Saudi Arabia mark a calm in the fierce confrontation between the two sides. It can be said that the darkest period in bilateral relations in the past three years has basically passed.

Notably, the negotiation space in Saudi Arabia is being watched by Ukraine and European countries, after President Trump had separate phone calls with Russian President Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky about the possibility of starting peace negotiations regarding the conflict that has lasted for nearly 3 years. In fact, resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict is also one of the priorities on President Trump's agenda.

However, Mr. Trump's approach to this issue is considered to be "ignoring" Ukraine and the European Union (EU). That is the reason why top European leaders had to hastily hold an emergency meeting in Paris (France) on February 17 to seek a common stance to affirm Europe's role and voice in the negotiation process on the Ukraine issue.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that the focus of the talks was on the comprehensive restoration of Russia-US relations, while also discussing the possibility of negotiating a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine and holding a meeting at the head of state.

Meanwhile, Washington was more cautious, with State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce saying the immediate goal was to gauge Russia’s seriousness in seeking peace and whether detailed negotiations could begin. This suggests that both sides have different expectations and the possibility of achieving substantive progress remains open.

Although no immediate breakthrough changes are expected, analysts say this meeting is a sign that the two sides are beginning to seek a platform for dialogue to reduce tensions and improve bilateral relations, first of all by exchanging information and reducing the risk of unwanted confrontations.

On Ukraine, although both the US and Russia are cautious about turning points, the meeting in Riyadh is an opportunity to make some progress that could serve as a foundation for peaceful solutions to the situation in Ukraine.

First of all, there could be an opportunity for a reduction in military tensions, especially in terms of temporary measures to stop the conflict between the two sides.

The US-Russia meeting in Saudi Arabia is expected to have an impact on global strategic stability when it comes to the situation in the Middle East and a number of other regions of the world that are in a state of instability and need to be resolved with the participation of both the US and Russia, as assessed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on February 17. Konstantin Blokhin, an expert at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that the talks include global issues, not just the Ukrainian issue.

The choice of the neutral location of Saudi Arabia shows certain shifts in the global diplomatic order as well as the strategic interests of Russia, the US and Saudi Arabia in the future.

Gulf affairs expert Abdullah Baaboud said that Saudi Arabia wants to participate as a central mediator, similar to Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and wants to increase its influence to become a “key player” in the region.

In addition, this expert commented that Saudi Arabia and Russia have common interests as major oil producers. Paul Salem, Vice President of the Middle East Institute in Washington, stated that President Trump wants to strengthen the US-Saudi Arabia relationship for economic, financial, investment and strategic reasons, because Riyadh holds a leading position in the Middle East region, which can ensure a potential agreement between the US - Saudi Arabia - Israel in the future.

Although the specific results of the meeting are still to come, the event in Saudi Arabia is the door for the US and Russia to restart the dialogue process, thereby opening up the possibility of resolving the Ukraine conflict in the future.

As Andrei Klimov, Deputy Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian Senate, said, a real dialogue between Moscow and Washington is long-awaited, because the essence of adjusting Russian-American relations is to ensure peaceful coexistence between the two countries in a changing world.

In other words, the Russia-US relationship is a competitive and coexisting relationship in which inevitable geopolitical and strategic disputes are managed responsibly. As the world faces numerous security, economic and political challenges, it is imperative to restore channels of negotiation and seek peaceful solutions.