[Weekly Focus] Key takeaways from U.S.-Russia talks on ending war in Ukraine

Officials from the United States and Russia met earlier this week in Saudi Arabia, to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.

But Ukraine was not invited to the talks, leading to concerns.

For more details on the outcome of the meeting, we have our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji. Welcome.

Thanks for having me.

1. So Eun-ji, I understand the talks yielded consensus for setting up a separate team to discuss ending the war.

That's right.

This was the first high-level talks between the U.S. and Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago in February 2022.

The meeting lasted around 4 and a half hours, and the two countries agreed to hold more talks, and decided to appoint 'high-level teams' to put an end to the war as soon as possible.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that he's convinced Russia is willing to engage in a "serious process" of ending the conflict and said this was the first step of a long and difficult journey.

"In order to bring an end to any conflict, there has to be concessions made by all sides."

Rubio's Russian counterpart described their conversation as "useful," but said his country will not accept NATO troops in Ukraine as part of any peace deal.

"We explained today that the presence of troops from NATO countries --under a foreign flag, under the flag of the European Union, or under national flags, it does not change anything. This is, of course, unacceptable to us."

2. But Ukraine and Europe were not at the table. How did they respond to the meeting?

Ukraine showed frustration about not being invited to the peace talks.

The country's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiations to end the war in Ukraine should not take place "behind the backs of" the parties involved.

"You can talk about anything, but no decision can be made without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine. We were not invited to this meeting – the U.S.-Russia meeting in Saudi Arabia -it was a surprise for us, as well as for many."

The latest meeting also led to concerns in European countries,.. as being left out of the peace negotiations could also impact their security, especially if they are seen as too favorable to Russia.

So, in an apparent move to reassure the European countries, Rubio held phone calls with his counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, and Italy and briefed them on the latest meeting.

3. And what did Trump have to say about concerns from Ukraine and other European countries?

Well, U.S. President Donald Trump almost suggested that Ukraine was to blame for a war that began only after Russia's invasion.

Let's first take a listen to what he had to say.

"But today I heard, well, 'we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal."

He warned the Ukrainian leader that he "better move fast" to negotiate an end to the conflict, or risk not having a nation to lead.

Trump also hinted that he may meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month.

In response, Putin said he would also like to meet with Trump,.. but stressed they need some time to prepare for an effective meeting.

"Therefore, some time is needed. How much time will be needed, I am not ready to answer now. But we have a desire to hold such a meeting, and I would like to hold this meeting."

4. So what can we expect to happen now?

It's pretty obvious that Trump wants to strike a deal quickly, and in a way that politically benefits him as he promised during his campaign that he would bring a swift end to the war.

Experts believe the peace negotiations will pick up speed if the leaders of the U.S. and Russia meet, but say that does not necessarily mean that the war will be over soon.

"Presumably, once Trump-Putin meeting takes place, things will accelerate to bring the war to close. But in some ways, war doesn't end until Ukraine says it's over."

Both Trump and Putin are willing to meet soon but for now, it's unclear whether they will be able to meet this month.

But if they do meet, it would be the first face-to-face encounter between leaders of the U.S. and Russia since 2021.

Alright. We'll have to see how the situation unfolds.

Thank you for the wrap-up today Eun-ji. We appreciate it.

My pleasure.