Possible negotiations on Ukraine: US / Russia

Pepe Escobar posted the article below on his telegram channel. He says: “This is very serious. The people I talked to – details later – trust Ushakov and Naryshkin, two heavyweights who can eat the Americans for breakfast.”

Before we get to the article, let’s listen to a clip from Kellog:

Trump envoy will try to ‘FORCE’ Putin to break alliances with North Korea, China, Iran as part of Ukraine ceasefire deal

‘The question from the journalist is: What concessions will Putin have to make?’

‘Force him into actions he won’t want to do…break his alliance with North Korea, Iran, China’ — Trump Envoy Kellogg

❗️ US will try to break Russia's alliances with DPRK, Iran, and China — Keith Kellogg pic.twitter.com/grD8hqRFg6

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 15, 2025

These people are idiots. One uses strong talk before negotiations frequently to psych out the opponent. But in these negotiations, where they will attempt to create peace in circumstances that are incredibly challenging and complex, touch the security complex as a whole in Europe, and possibly break up the Ukraine?  Where there already is a history of perfidy (Minsk and others).  On this level negotiation games for dummies from negotiations 101 show up who the dummies are in the room.  It is those without a card to play for sure and they are substituting dummy games for cards.  These kinds of pre-negotiation games show up who the kids are in the room and who the adults are.  Dummy games are for those that think they can dictate terms but in reality, they cannot.  And this specifically is of importance if it is your side doing the phone calling.  “US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov”, RIA Novosti has reported, citing the Russian ministry.  If these people want to be happy about a post-Kiev reality, they must be serious.

Now to the article:  

Putin and Trump may meet in Saudi Arabia at the end of February, Bloomberg reports, citing sources.

The publication states that senior officials from the US and Russia will meet next week in Saudi Arabia to lay the groundwork for a potential summit between the leaders at the end of the month to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The details of the meeting and the list of participants are still being discussed, but according to informed sources, the groups are expected to be led by national security advisers.

Most Europeans have not yet been informed about the meeting, said another official source who requested anonymity. Ukrainian representatives are also expected to participate, but they are not fully aware of the preparations.

US President Donald Trump hinted on Thursday at an upcoming summit with Vladimir Putin in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and said that Ukrainians would be involved. They also exchanged invitations during a 90-minute phone call—the first contact between the leaders since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The White House National Security Council did not respond to a request for comment, nor did a Kremlin representative.

Saudi authorities have invited representatives from the US, Russia, and Ukraine to a gathering in Riyadh. People familiar with the situation, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the meeting, reported this. Saudi National Security Adviser Musaed Al-Aiban will lead the talks, with one source adding that plans could be disrupted due to last-minute changes.

Al-Aiban is an experienced specialist and close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He has represented him in negotiations with Iran and Washington on defense cooperation and the normalization of relations with Israel.

Negotiating Teams

National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to lead the US negotiations in Saudi Arabia. This raises questions about the role of Special Representative Keith Kellogg.

Putin is assembling a team of heavyweights with decades of experience in high-level strategic negotiations. Among them is Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin’s chief foreign policy adviser with 50 years of diplomatic experience, and his top intelligence officer Sergei Naryshkin, who served with Putin in the Soviet KGB. Kirill Dmitriev, a financier with a Stanford and Harvard education and ties to the Russian president’s family, may play a key role as an unofficial intermediary in Trump’s negotiations.

The level of contact has significantly increased over the past week, especially after US Vice President J.D. Vance’s sharp speech at the Munich Security Conference, which shocked European participants with his critical analysis of their “fundamental values” and vulnerable democracies.

The publication notes that Saudi Arabia maintains close relations with the US, Russia, and Ukraine and is considered a neutral venue for potential peace talks.