US reveals four points Russia agreed to in peace deal negotiations on Ukraine war

The meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (middle), US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (right), US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff (left) and Russian officials but excluded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (inset) (Pictures: AFP/Getty Images/EPA)

The US and Russia have agreed on four principles in a peace deal with Ukraine, according to President Donald Trump’s state secretary.

American and Russian officials agreed to the points toward ending the war in Ukraine during an over four-hour meeting in Saudia Arabia – that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited to.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed the developments on Tuesday after meeting in Riyadh with his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.

The first principle is reestablishing the US and Moscow’s missions in each other’s nations.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (middle), US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (right) and US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff (left) attend an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Picture: AP)

‘For us to be able to continue to move down this road, we need to have diplomatic facilities that are operating and functioning normally,’ said Rubio.

Second, the US will ‘appoint a high-level team from our end to help negotiate and work through the end of the conflict in Ukraine in a way that’s enduring and acceptable to all the parties engaged’, Rubio said.

The third point involves discussing and examining geopolitical and economic cooperation ‘that could result from an end to the conflict in Ukraine’, he said.

Lastly, Rubio said the officials in the meeting will ‘remain engaged in this process to make sure that it’s moving along in a productive way’.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Freddie Everett/Us State/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock (15156999e) U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio, before the start of talks on the Russo-Ukraine War at the Diriyah Palace, February 18, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio Meets with Russian Counterpart, Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia - 18 Feb 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio before the start of talks on the Russia-Ukraine War at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Picture: Rex Features)

Lavrov told US diplomats that the discussion was ‘very useful’.

‘We not only listened, but also heard each other,’ he said.

He added that Ukraine would pose a ‘direct threat’ to Russian sovereignty if they are allowed to become a member of NATO.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ukraine Presidency/Ukrainian Pre/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock (15157530e) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shake hands before a bilateral meeting at the President Palace, February 18, 2025 in Ankara, Turkey. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Meets with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara, Turkey - 18 Feb 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) shake hands before a bilateral meeting at the President Palace on Tuesday in Ankara (Picture: Rex Features)

Zelensky said he was ‘surprised’ that he was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia, and that Ukraine will not accept any deal that he is not invited to participate in.

He said he will not ‘give in to Russia’s ultimatums’.

‘I wonder why they believe Ukraine would accept all these ultimatums now if we refused them at the most difficult moment,’ said Zelensky from Ankara, where he met with Turkey’s president.

US President Donald Trump speaks during the signing of executive orders at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 18, 2025. Trump signed an executive order February 18 aimed at improving the affordability and availability of in vitro fertilization, a health issue he had addressed on the campaign trail. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
The Riyadh meeting was meant as a precursor to a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Picture: Getty Images)

‘I have never given any guarantees to anyone or confirmed anything. Moreover, I have never intended to accept Russia’s ultimatums. And I am not going to.’

Zelensky said he canceled his trip to Saudi Arabia that was scheduled for Wednesday.

The meeting on Tuesday in Riyadh was meant as a precursor for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It ended with no date set for the summit, which is ‘unlikely’ to happen next week, according to Ushakov.

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