**US and Russia Hold Secret Talks in Saudi Arabia**
The US and Russia have held secret talks in Saudi Arabia, marking a significant step towards ending Western isolation of Moscow. Three Americans and two Russians were part of the two teams that met in Saudi Arabia.
**Who’s Who?**
The American team consisted of Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State; Mike Waltz, the National Security Adviser; and Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s former golf partner who was chosen to send to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin.
Rubio has long sought an end to the war in Ukraine and voted against a $6bn US military aid package in 2024. He believes China is America’s biggest adversary and that Beijing wants the US to be “bogged down” in Europe.
Waltz thinks the US deserves “some type of payback” for the billions it has paid out to Ukraine during three years of full-scale war. He also believes Ukraine should share its mineral wealth with the US “in terms of their rare earths, their natural resources, and their oil and gas“.
Witkoff is an unknown quantity but was chosen by Trump to send to Moscow for talks with Putin.
**Russia’s Team**
The Russian team consisted of two top diplomats: Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister since 2004; and Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser. They have helped steer Russia’s foreign policy during three years of war.
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, was also part of the Russian delegation. He is close to Putin’s family and has connections to America’s finance and business sector.
**Significance**
The talks mark a significant step towards ending Western isolation of Moscow. The two teams agreed to reset their countries’ diplomatic relations and prepare the groundwork for broader “high-level” talks.
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