Putin: Russia must gain confidence in U.S.A. to end war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that his country must gain confidence in the United States before being granted a three-year war solution to his country in Ukraine.

Mr. Putin told reporters in St Petersburg that he was pleased with the outcome of high-level talks between American and Russian officials, who were held Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. He added that they were a first “step towards improving tense relations between Moscow and Washington.

But he added that “is impossible to resolve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, without increasing the level of confidence between Russia and the United States”.

During a televised speech, President Putin said he would like to hold a high-level meeting with US President Donald Trump”, but for him to produce results according to him, preliminary preparations were needed.

The talks in Riyadh, led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, were the first significant talks between the two superpowers, after more than three years of Russian attack on Ukraine, as well as Western efforts led by Washington to arm Kiev, with the aim of countering the attack.

I've been informed about the talks. I highly appreciate them and there are results”, Mr. Putin said, according to the news agency "Interfax" at a nuclear plant in St Petersburg. “In my opinion, we took the first step to restore co-operation in various areas with common interests”.

Neither Ukrainian nor European officials were on the table in Riyadh's talks, but the United States said they would be involved in future negotiations to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

Moscow began aggression against Ukraine almost four years ago. Russia now controls about a fifth of Ukraine's internationally recognised territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said his country would not accept a imposed solution to the conflict.

While former US President Joe Biden delivered tens of billions of dollars in arms to Kiev, current President Donald Trump is promoting a quick end to the war started by Moscow.

He said Tuesday that Ukraine “should never have started” the war. In a new comment Wednesday on his “Truth Social”, Trump called President Zelenskiy an unelected “dictator”.

Trump sharply criticises Zelenskiyn, calls “unselected dictator”

Mr. Trump also said that the only thing Mr. Zelenskiy had been able to do was manipulate his predecessor Joe Biden.

I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country has been destroyed and millions of people have died unnecessaryly”, Mr. Trump said.

Speaking ahead of talks with US envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg in Kiev, Mr. Zelenskiy said that “President Trump ... unfortunately lives in this deinformation area” caused by Russia.

Mr. Zelensky told reporters before meeting with Mr. Kellogg that although American officials have said there will be no American troop dislocation as part of any possible post-war peacekeeping mission, they can help in other ways, such as air defence systems.

Mr. Kellogg's visit to Ukraine comes amid an international diplomatic wave. French President Emmanuel Macron is holding a second round of talks with European leaders, who have also expressed concerns that have been excluded from the table.

Secretary Rubio said Ukraine and European countries will have to be included in talks to end the war.

President Voldymyr Zelenskiy expressed disappointment that Ukraine was not invited to the talks, but President Donald Trump reacted.

“I heard today that they were not invited. You've been there three years. You should have ended it for three years. You should never have started. You could have made a deal. ”

The war began when Russia launched large - scale aggression against Ukraine in February 2022.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas said she and other European foreign ministers spoke with Mr. Rubio after the US-Russia meeting and expressed support for a Ukrainian-led solution.

Russia will try to divide us. Let's not fall into their trap,” said Mrs. Callas on the X platform.

“Working together with the United States, we can achieve a fair and lasting peace under the conditions of Ukraine. ”

Mr. Zelenskiy has long demanded that his country's borders return to those of before 2014, but American officials have said both this and Kiev's intention to join NATO as part of a negotiated solution are unrealistic.