The light has begun to shine.

The first meeting between top US and Russian diplomats in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, today, February 18th, is attracting global attention.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, along with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18. (Source: theguardian)

Restoring the relationship

The event attracted even more attention given Washington's recent statements that have caused concern in Europe, NATO allies, and especially Ukraine about a strategic shift by the White House. In particular, the first meeting between the two superpowers took place just days after a one-and-a-half-hour phone call between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Furthermore, the location of the meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, rather than somewhere in Europe, along with the absence of a representative from Kyiv, drew significant interest from observers.

Attending the meeting on the US side were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. Meanwhile, the Kremlin sent Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov to Riyadh.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the focus of this high-level meeting between the two sides is to restore Russia-US relations, discuss the possibility of negotiating a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, and prepare for a meeting at the head of state level between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Washington adopted a more cautious approach, with State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stating that the immediate goal was to assess Moscow's "seriousness" in seeking peace and to determine whether detailed negotiations could begin. Statements from Moscow and Washington suggest that both sides entered the meeting with differing expectations and approaches, leaving the possibility of a substantive breakthrough open.

While no immediate breakthroughs are expected from the first official high-level meeting between Russia and the US after three years of "frozen" relations, the meeting signals that both Washington and Moscow are beginning to seek a platform for dialogue to de-escalate tensions. At the same time, the meeting will be the first step in improving bilateral relations, primarily through information exchange and reducing the risk of unwanted confrontations.

Most observers believe that this event is not only a turning point in bilateral relations, but also an important signal regarding global strategic stability, especially in the context of increasing geopolitical tensions. Furthermore, observers also believe that this meeting will have an impact on global strategic stability because the agenda will certainly include the situation in the Middle East and several other regions of the world experiencing escalating instability, requiring the participation of both the US and Russia. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the press before his flight to Riyadh.

Initiating dialogue

The relationship between the US and Russia escalated into a tense rivalry, turning them into bitter adversaries after the conflict in Ukraine erupted on February 24, 2022. Washington's imposition of numerous sanctions against Moscow under President Joe Biden's administration and its provision of hundreds of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine pushed the two countries into a spiral of confrontation.

However, since President Donald Trump's return to the White House, with his declarations of ending the conflict quickly through peaceful means and recent actions by Washington, the Russia-US confrontation has begun to show a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel. Regardless of the specific outcome of this "difficult beginning" meeting, the event in Saudi Arabia opens the door for the US and Russia to restart dialogue, thereby opening the possibility of resolving the conflict in Ukraine, which has lasted for nearly three years, in the future.

Andrei Klimov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Senate's Committee on International Affairs, believes that a genuine dialogue between Moscow and Washington is long awaited, because the essence of adjusting Russia-US relations is to ensure peaceful coexistence between the two countries in a changing world. In other words, Russia-US relations are a relationship of competitive coexistence, in which unavoidable geopolitical and strategic disputes are managed responsibly.

As the world faces numerous security, economic, and political challenges, restoring channels for negotiation and seeking peaceful solutions is essential. Meanwhile, according to researcher Zhang Hong of the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the meeting in Riyadh, following recent interactions between the US and Russian leaders, along with statements of de-escalation, suggests that the darkest period in Russia-US relations since 2022 is essentially over.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/cuoc-gap-nga-my-tai-riyadh-anh-sang-da-le-loi-304775.html