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Donald Trump bashes Zelenskyy for ‘starting’ war as US, Russia meet to end conflict ‘without’ Ukraine: 10 points
US-Russia talks in Riyadh aim to address the ongoing war, with Trump expressing confidence in potentially ending the conflict soon.
US President Donald Trump's administration met with Russian officials on Tuesday in the Saudi capital without Kyiv and agreed to hold more talks on ending the war in Ukraine. On the other hand, Kyiv has said that talks on how to end the war should not be held behind Ukraine's back. President Trump brushed aside Ukraine's concern about being left out of the meeting, saying Kyiv could have made a deal with Russia three years ago to avert the invasion by Moscow.
Here are 10 points to know
1. During the 4.5-hour meeting in the Saudi capital, Russia toughened its stance, said that it would not accept NATO granting membership to Ukraine.
2. On Tuesday, President Trump brushed aside Ukraine's concern about being left out of the meeting, saying Kyiv could have made a deal with Russia three years ago to avert the invasion by Moscow.
3. While critising Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said, “Today I heard, 'oh, we weren't invited.' Well you've been there for three years, you should have ended it... you should have never started it. You could have made a deal."
4. While speaking to reporters, Trump added, “... Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the barbarianism that's going on over there. Soldiers are being killed by thousands on a weekly basis... Apart from Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, a lot of Koreans have been killed... We want to end it. It's a senseless war. It should have never happened; it would have never happened if I were President..."
5. Trump said he was more confident after the talks and he would probably meet with Putin before the end of the month. "I think I have the power to end this war," said Trump.
6. The talks in Riyadh were the first time U.S. and Russian officials met to discuss ways to halt the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two. The relationship between Russia and the United States had soured since the Moscow launched a military action on its neighbour Ukraine in February 2022. The Russia-US ties have fallen to its lowest levels since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
7. Ukraine has said it will not accept any deal imposed without its consent, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated "there must be no decision over the heads of Ukraine."
8. Even before the talks took place, some European politicians accused Trump's administration of handing free concessions to Moscow last week by ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine and saying it was an illusion for Kyiv to believe it could win back the 20 percent of its territory now under Russian control.
9. U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told reporters in Riyadh that the war must come to a permanent end, and this would involve negotiations over territory. "Just a practical reality is that there is going to be some discussion of territory and there's going to be discussion of security guarantees," he said as quoted by Reuters.
10. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that high-level teams would begin talks on ending the conflict and would separately work to restore the countries' respective diplomatic missions in Washington and Moscow to ease the talks going forward.
PM Modi said on Ukraine-Russia War
During his visit to US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also welcomed the efforts made by US President Donald Trump towards resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He also reiterated that India's stance in the conflict is not neutral, but rather it is on the side of peace. He added, "India believes that the solution to the war can be found only when the issue is discussed in a forum where both countries (Russia and Ukraine) will be present. The efforts made by President Trump - I support, and welcome it. I hope he succeeds as soon as possible."
(With all inputs from Reuters)
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Business NewsNewsDonald Trump bashes Zelenskyy for ‘starting’ war as US, Russia meet to end conflict ‘without’ Ukraine: 10 points
First Published:19 Feb 2025, 06:35 AM IST
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