In a historic diplomatic breakthrough, the White House has described recent negotiations between US and Russian officials in Riyadh as a “truly monumental step” towards ending the ongoing Ukraine conflict. The February 18 meeting, led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, marked the first high-level dialogue between Moscow and Washington in years, signaling a potential shift in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News, emphasized the significance of the Riyadh talks, stating that Trump’s administration is actively working to repair US-Russia relations and chart a course toward peace in Ukraine. Leavitt criticized Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, for neglecting diplomacy in favor of economic and military pressure on Moscow.

“The previous administration had no negotiations, no discussions, really no diplomacy in this effort,” Leavitt said, taking aim at the Biden administration’s sanctions-driven approach. The former president had implemented sweeping economic sanctions on Russia and worked to isolate Moscow internationally following its military intervention in Ukraine in 2022. Trump, on the other hand, campaigned on the promise of direct negotiations with the Kremlin, prioritizing diplomacy over military escalation.

During the 4.5-hour talks in Riyadh, Lavrov and Rubio reportedly discussed a range of issues, including the gradual restoration of diplomatic and economic ties between the two nations. Lavrov noted that both sides had agreed to dismantle the “artificial barriers” created by the Biden administration, which had frozen most US-Russia engagements........

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