IN BRIEF: Putin speaks about potential Trump meeting, Ukraine’s attack on Caspian oil link
TASS has put together the president’s key statements
- PETERSBURG, February 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to reporters during a trip to St. Petersburg on Wednesday and said his potential meeting with US President Donald Trump would need to be well prepared so they could reach agreements on issues including Ukraine.
He also said the recent Ukrainian attack on an oil pumping station of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium in southern Russia will cause energy prices on world markets to spike and hold high, much to the chagrin of consumers.
Talks in Riyadh
America was represented by “completely different people” at the talks in Riyadh, who were open to dialog and determined to work together. Putin said he highly appreciated the talks: “There is a result.”
Without increasing the level of trust between Russia and the US, it will be impossible to solve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis. “What was the purpose of this meeting is to build up trust between the Russia and the US.” The atmosphere of the talks in Riyadh was “very friendly.”
The Russian and US delegations in Riyadh discussed, among other things, economic issues and cooperation between the countries in space: “Work continues, and the prospects are good.”
Russia and the US “made the first step” to cooperate on the Middle East, including Syria and Palestine: “There are a lot of issues there where both the United States and the Russian Federation are involved.”
Moscow and Washington are also facing a decision on whether to extend the New START: “Everyone has probably forgotten this. I will remind you that in exactly one year, in February, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty will expire.”
Russia will inform BRICS countries “in the very near future” about the results of Tuesday’s talks with the US: “We know they are interested in the settlement of Russian-Ukrainian relations and the cessation of hostilities. We treat their proposals with respect.”
Ukraine
Russia treats the situation around Ukraine as a priority. Moscow “has never refused” a dialog: “It is our partners in these negotiations who have refused. The Europeans have stopped communicating with Russia, and the Ukrainian side has banned itself from negotiating.”
The US said that the talks should involve both Russia and Ukraine: “As for the negotiation process, Trump told me in a phone conversation, I can confirm that, of course, the United States assumes that the negotiation process will involve both Russia and Ukraine.”
Kiev’s hysteria over being denied a seat at the negotiating table of Russia and the US is inappropriate: “Do they want to sit here at the negotiating table and mediate between Russia and the US?” The subject of the talks in Riyadh was the restoration of Russian-American relations, he said. Moscow and Washington do not need mediators in this, as it would be an “excessive requirement,” according to the president.
Trump promised to quickly solve the Ukrainian crisis, but changed his position when he gained access to more data after assuming presidency, which is “absolutely natural.”
Potential meeting with Trump
The upcoming meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump needs to be prepared thoroughly: “How much time it will take, I am not ready to answer now, but we have a desire to hold such a meeting.”
It is not enough for the meeting with Trump just to happen: “We need to make sure that our teams prepare issues that are extremely important for both the US and Russia, including on the Ukrainian track.”
Russian, US diplomats
Russia and the US “agreed to resume the work of diplomatic missions in a normal mode.” Expulsions of Russian and US diplomats do no good: “If things continue like this, we will have only cleaners working in these buildings, whose labor should no doubt be appreciated, but this is not what diplomatic missions are created for.”
Special operation
Soldiers of the 810th brigade of the Russian Armed Forces crossed the border with Ukraine in the Kursk Region overnight and entered the enemy’s territory.
Russian troops are advancing “along the entire line of engagement.”
Ukrainian strike on Caspian oil link
Ukrainian forces could not have accomplished an attack on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium on their own. The attack looks like a effort made in coordination with Europe: “But I don’t want to believe it.” Such attacks are impossible without satellite reconnaissance. Kiev gets satellite reconnaissance data solely from its Western allies.
The pipeline was not and still is not protected by Russian air defenses: “We assumed that it can’t be a target of an attack. This is not, strictly speaking, a Russian facility. It is a facility of international energy infrastructure.”
Russia gets “peanuts” for transit through the CPC, and all the oil in the pipeline belongs to American and European companies. The attack on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station will affect global energy markets: “This leads to consistently high energy prices on world markets, which energy consumers, such as European companies, are certainly not interested in.” The current US administration “has also repeatedly announced that it seeks to stabilize or even lower energy prices.”
As a result of the attack, Western equipment was damaged and cannot be quickly repaired. In addition, the Europeans have extended sanctions against Russia, including on the supply of Western equipment in the field of oil and gas production, which means that now the equipment “will not be supplied at all.”
EU-US relations
Europe itself is to blame for the current strained relations with the US. During the last election campaign, “all European leaders, without exception, in effect directly interfered in the US election process, going so far as to directly insult one of the candidates.”
Trump’s demeanor toward “allies who behaved, to put it bluntly, in boorish manner” can be called reserved.
Moscow did not allow itself any harsh statements or insulting outbursts against anyone, although “of course it was clear who appealed to us.”.
Kremlin mum on how long Putin-Trump meeting to be prepared
“The meeting needs to be prepared, so it is impossible to say now how much time it will take, days or weeks,” the Kremlin spokesman said
- PETERSBURG, February 19. /TASS/. It is impossible to give a clear timeframe for the preparation of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told VGTRK reporter Pavel Zarubin.
“The meeting needs to be prepared, so it is impossible to say now how much time it will take, days or weeks,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
“But at least in Riyadh the political will of both sides to organize such a meeting as soon as possible was expressed,” Peskov added. “They agreed to start concrete, substantive preparations immediately,” the Kremlin spokesman pointed out.
“This work is active and will continue – in fact, yesterday Foreign Minister [Sergey Lavrov] said that instructions have been given to our diplomats to quickly gather groups at the expert level to begin negotiations on all relevant issues,” Peskov said.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, Russia and the United States agreed to begin normalizing the work of the diplomatic missions of both countries. “Because the embassies are absolutely paralyzed in their work: their embassy in Moscow, and our embassy in Washington. It is necessary first to acquire diplomatic potential, to revive it, and then the work will continue,” the presidential spokesman concluded.
The Russian and US delegations held talks in Riyadh on February 18 which lasted about four and a half hours. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff participated in the negotiations. Representatives of the two countries discussed primarily the US-Russia relations.
Russia values relations with all of Asia, Lavrov says
According to the top diplomat, Russia has “an extensive system of relations with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations”
MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Moscow values relations with all of Asia and would like to boost cooperation with all its subregions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, addressing the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament).
“You first mentioned Southeast Asia. North Korea is in Northeast Asia, but we care about all of Asia,” he pointed out.
According to Lavrov, Russia has “an extensive system of relations with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,” which involves annual meetings of foreign ministers and defense chiefs, as well as a forum on regional security architecture. “Undoubtedly, the situation in Northeast Asia – on the Korean Peninsula – is no less important for us because it’s very close to our border,” he added.
The Russian foreign minister also said that Moscow saw development prospects “in uniting the efforts of the existing subregional institutions, including ASEAN,” aimed at creating a continent-wide organization.
OUTSIDE RUSSIA
PREVIEW: Lavrov to take part in G20 ministerial meeting in South Africa
Lavrov’s visit to South Africa will take place shortly after the milestone Russian-US talks in Riyadh
JOHANNESBURG, February 20. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday will arrive in Johannesburg to take part in a two-day Group of Twenty ministerial meeting.
South Africa is holding presidency in the Group of Twenty this year, being the first African country to host G20 events.
Lavrov’s visit to South Africa will take place shortly after the milestone Russian-US talks in Riyadh and the G20 top diplomats are likely to want to learn about them firsthand. According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Lavrov plans to hold a series of bilateral meetings in Johannesburg.
Experts don’t rule out that other Western countries may follow the United States’ lead and ask for a meeting with Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 event. The Russian side has always said that it is ready for dialogue if foreign ministers are interested in it. However, Western officials have been demonstratively avoided meeting with the top Russian diplomat during the past three years.
Scandal with the US
A difficult situation is unfolding around another participant in the Riyadh talks – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has decided to skip the meeting in Johannesburg amid a scandal in bilateral relations between Washington and Pretoria.
On February 7, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to stop assistance to South Africa and accused that country’s leadership of discriminating the white population and plans to seize lands from farmers. He also lambasted the South African side for filing a lawsuit against Israel with the UN International Court of Justice in December 2023, accusing the Israeli side of staging genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Rubio said he would not take part in the G20 meeting due to South Africa’s anti-American policy. He also criticized the meeting’s agenda. Pretoria officially invited Washington to discuss the situation and requested explanations from it, but no response has followed as of yet.
The meeting’s agenda
Speaking to Russian lawmakers, Lavrov noted that the G20 should be used to “teach Western counterparts to work in a mutually respectful manner, rather than impose their unilateral approaches and prescriptions.” He noted that Russia and its BRICS partners, as well as other countries of the global South are managing to contain the West’s attempts within the G20 “to Ukrainize the agenda, impose discriminatory economic, financial, trade, and climate solutions.”
South Africa, as the host country, plans to offer a really unifying agenda for discussions. Thus, according to Zakharova, South Africa’s priorities are called to promote economic growth, reduce inequality and disbalances, ensure fair access to financing for countries of the global South.
Special attention is expected to be focused on the international situation, which “is degrading because of the confrontational policy of the neoliberal Western elites.”
Lavrov’s speech
The top Russian diplomat will address his G20 counterpart with a detailed analysis of the international situation, with a focus on the root causes of the critical conflicts and will outline concrete steps to overcome them.
“It is also planned to once again call for ensuring the openness of the global economy, rejecting trade wars, illegitimate, criminal sanctions and other manifestations of unfair competition,” Zakharova noted. “The Russian side will reiterate its course toward ensuring the United Nations’ central role in global affairs and, naturally, will once again stress the need for observing the United Nations Charter.”
Apart from that, in her words, Lavrov will also speak about those associations “that develop fair, productive relations without dictation and blackmail, such as the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS.” “And, naturally, special attention will be paid to Russia’s initiative of greater Eurasian partnership,” she added.
Russia, Ethiopia to determine joint projects for financing from special investment fund
In particular, the parties discussed expansion of cooperation in the area of trade, agriculture and tourism, as well as the possibility of implementing joint projects in the field of information and communication technology, education and medicine
MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Russia and Ethiopia will determine promising projects to be co-financed from a special investment fund, which will be established this year at the Russian president’s request, according to a statement published by the Russian cabinet following a meeting between Russian Economic Development Minister Maksim Reshetnikov and Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Russian-Ethiopian Commission on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Trade Cooperation, Ethiopian Minister of Innovation and Technology Belete Molla.
“Head of the Economic Development Ministry noted that Russian companies are interested in actively boosting joint projects with Ethiopia, and he suggested that promising for both countries projects be determined that could vie for being co-financed from a special investment fund that will be set up at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s request in 2025,” the statement reads.
In particular, the parties discussed expansion of cooperation in the area of trade, agriculture and tourism, as well as the possibility of implementing joint projects in the field of information and communication technology, education and medicine.
SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE
Ukraine’s losses in 2024 amounted to 590,000 troops — top brass
Since the beginning of the special military operation, Ukraine’s losses have amounted to more than a million people, said First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff Sergei Rudskoy
MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. Ukraine’s lost some 590,000 troops in 2024 alone, and more than one million since the beginning of the special military operation, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff Sergey Rudskoy said.
“In 2024 alone, the number of those killed and wounded in the Ukrainian army stood at 590,000. And since the beginning of the special military operation, this figure has exceeded one million,” he said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper.
Russian forces enter new Ukrainian region
The Russian troops have entered Ukraine’s Sumy Region for the first time in three years, President Vladimir Putin has said
Russian troops have entered Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Region for the first time since 2022, President Vladimir Putin has said. He briefly spoke about the situation of the battlefield with reporters in St. Petersburg, a day after the US and Russia held first high-profile talks in three years.
According to Putin, in the early hours of Wednesday, the soldiers from the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade “crossed the border between the Russian Federation and Ukraine and entered the enemy territory.”
“Our troops are on the offensive in all sections of the front line,” he added, without providing more details.
The Russian Defense Ministry posted videos of an Iskander ballistic missile hitting Ukrainian artillery positions in the Sumy Region and Russian naval infantrymen flying kamikaze drones into the enemy trenches. The ministry did not report any major advancements in the area in its daily update on Wednesday.
Kiev provided a different account of the events. Andrey Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, claimed that Ukrainian troops have “destroyed” a reconnaissance unit that had tried to cross the border. He denied a “large-scale offensive” in the area.
Russia first invaded the Sumy Region in the early days of the conflict in February 2022 and withdrew two months later. In August 2024, Ukraine used the area to invade Russia’s Kursk Region and capture several border villages, as well as the town of Sudzha. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has since said that he had planned to use an incursion across Russia’s internationally recognized borders as leverage during potential peace talks.
The Russian troops have since been fighting to gradually push the Ukrainians from Kursk, with the MOD reporting the liberation of the village of Sverdlikovo on Wednesday. “We took many prisoners,” a soldier from Russia’s battlegroup North told RIA Novosti.
The teams led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed paths to end the Ukraine conflict in Riyadh on Tuesday. While no breakthroughs have been archieved, both sides agreed to work towards the normalization of bilateral ties that were suspended by the Biden administration in 2022.
INSIGHTS
Rebuilding ties, restoring peace: Key takeaways from Russia-US talks
The Russian foreign minister has described the talks as “useful” as both sides look forward to re-establishing contacts
Russia and the US have taken the first steps towards normalizing relations after an impasse which lasted years under the administration of Joe Biden.
Delegations from Moscow and Washington met on Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the restoration of diplomatic ties, future Ukraine peace talks, and an upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump.
The Russian team included Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential aide Yury Ushakov, and Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev. Representing the United States were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and special envoy Ambassador Steve Witkoff.
Here’s what the sides said following the meeting, which lasted nearly 4.5 hours:
Russia and the US will work to restore diplomatic missions
According to Lavrov, the talks were useful and both delegations worked “quite successfully” on improving relations.
One of the first steps agreed upon during the meeting, he explained, is to once and for all solve the issue of diplomatic missions, given that both countries had exchanged a number of diplomatic expulsions during the Biden administration, resulting in a breakdown of communications between Moscow and Washington.
As part of this, Moscow and Washington have committed to appoint ambassadors to each other’s countries as soon as possible and remove the “artificial barriers” that had been built by the Biden administration to “seriously complicate” the work of Russia’s diplomatic missions and hinder the development of normal relations, Lavrov said.
The deputy heads of the diplomatic departments of the two countries will soon meet to put an end to these issues, among which Lavrov listed the seizure of Russian real estate in the US and the restrictions on bank transfers for the Russian side.
The US has started to listen to Russia
The Russian and American delegations “not only listened, but also heard each other” during the talks, Lavrov said. The US has begun to better understand Russia’s position, which Moscow has repeatedly outlined over the years, he added.
The minister admitted that it does not mean that the national interests of the two countries would no longer be in conflict, but it is important that the two sides are working to establish a dialogue.
Lavrov said that Russia and the US have expressed an interest in resuming consultations on resolving geopolitical issues and removing barriers to economic cooperation, noting that the American side has demonstrated a “determination” to “move forward” in bilateral relations.
Russia’s position on Ukraine and NATO
The Russian side reiterated its position on the Ukraine conflict, primarily the fact that Kiev’s absorption into NATO would represent a direct threat to Moscow, Lavrov said at a press conference after the talks.
He also stressed that the deployment of troops from NATO states to Ukraine, whether under the European Union flag or national flags, would also be unacceptable for Russia.
The Russian side expressed its appreciation to Trump for becoming the first major Western leader to acknowledge that Ukraine’s NATO ambitions had been one of the primary catalysts for the conflict, Lavrov added.
Moscow and Washington have agreed to respect each other’s interests
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that the delegations held a “very serious conversation on all issues” that the sides wanted to address. However, he noted that it’s difficult to say whether the positions of the two countries have grown closer.
At the same time, he noted that Russia and the US have agreed to “take each other’s interests into account” while also advancing bilateral relations.
Russia and US will discuss the Ukraine conflict
Ushakov noted that while the US and Russia have outlined their positions on the Ukraine conflict, it will be up to the “teams of negotiators” from both states to make progress on this issue “in due course.”
“The Americans should appoint their representatives, we will appoint ours, and then, probably, the work will get underway,” Ushakov said.
Relations could improve in a matter of months
RDIF chief Kirill Dmitriev said that the delegations had communicated “with respect” and on equal terms, going on to suggest that the two sides could make significant progress in talks in a matter of two or three months.
He admitted it’s too early to talk about any compromises, but the meeting has laid “important grounds” for dialogue. The officials underscored the need for cooperation and economic opportunities that could contribute to both nations.
“We need to pursue joint projects, including, for example, in the Arctic and other areas,” he said.
Putin-Trump summit date still unclear
Following Tuesday’s talks, Ushakov noted that it is still difficult to name a specific date for the high-level summit, stating that it is “unlikely” that it will take place next week as had been previously suggested in the media.
US agrees to normalize relations with Russia
The US State Department announced after the talks that Marco Rubio and his team had agreed with the Russian delegation to create a “consultation mechanism” to address the irritants in bilateral relations and normalize the operations of the two countries’ diplomatic missions.
As part of this, Rubio has announced that Russia and the US had agreed to restore the previous number of diplomatic personnel at their respective embassies in Moscow and Washington following years of tit-for-tat diplomatic cuts.
Moscow and Washington will also need to examine the future geopolitical and economic cooperation that will come after the Ukraine conflict is resolved, Rubio said.
Special team to work on Ukraine solution
Washington also announced that Russia and the US have agreed to appoint high-level teams that would work on finding a path towards resolving the Ukraine conflict as soon as possible and to ensure a sustainable peace that is acceptable to all sides.
State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce stressed that “one phone call followed by one meeting” was not enough to establish an enduring peace. She stated that while Tuesday’s meeting was an “important step forward,” more still needs to be done.
