Name: US and Russia Agree to Work Towards Improving Ties and Ending Ukraine War in Landmark Talks
Uploaded: 2025-02-19T05:24:12.000Z
Description: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Russia and the U.S. agreed Tuesday to start working towards ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties.

Fiona Ji is a reporter based at NTD's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers local news.

Fiona Ji

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the United States and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

Venezuela, Chad Announce Withdrawal From ICC as Chief Prosecutor Is Removed

Arian Pasdar is an international correspondent for NTD News based in South America. His reporting focuses on immigration and key events in Latin America.

Arian Pasdar

France, Spain Continue to Battle Wildfires; Over 320,000 People Evacuated

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

‘Shen Yun Is Persecuted on US Sovereign Soil by Our Enemy, the CCP’: National Security Analyst

David Lam is a national correspondent based in California and a part-time anchor for "NTD Tonight." Before joining NTD he was a financial analyst.

David Lam

Amazon Proposes Mobile Connectivity From 5,000 Satellites

Arleen Richards is NTD's legal correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers all major legal stories. Arleen holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.).


Arleen Richards

Court Rules Illinois’s In-State Tuition Benefits for Illegal Immigrants Unconstitutional

John Rigolizzo is a writer from South Jersey. He previously wrote for the Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Campus Reform, and the America First Policy Institute.


John Rigolizzo

Dave Martin is NTD's Senior Sports Reporter and sports analyst. He also hosts "Data Hub" segments during NTD's special election coverage, "The Nation Decides."

Dave Martin

Sports News

Wife of Chiefs Assistant Shot at Home; Son Charged

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

Christina Corona is a California-based reporter for NTD News. She primarily covers California news, politics, and entertainment.  

Christina Corona

US News

Police Detain 15-Year-Old After Seattle Festival Shooting That Killed 3

Mary Man is a writer for NTD. She has traveled around the world covering China, international news, and arts and culture.

Mary Man

Jack Bradley is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Jack previously anchored "NTD Newsroom" and worked as an assistant producer for the show. 

Jack Bradley

Politics

Executive Branch

US Blacklists 88 Chinese Entities, Targets Top Civilian Universities

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

COVID Fraud Fugitive Accused of $32 Million Relief Scheme Captured

Chris Beers is an NTD News anchor and political correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Chris co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Chris Beers

Fauci’s Senate Testimony to Expose ‘Extremely Revealing’ COVID Diaries: Jeffrey Tucker

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 27)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 26)

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

Full Episodes

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 25)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 24)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 23)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 22)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 21)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 20)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 19)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 18)

Tom Gantert is a reporter for The Epoch Times.

Tom Gantert

Melina Wisecup is NTD's congressional correspondent based in Washington, covering Capitol Hill and campaign politics.

Melina Wisecup

Trump Uses Recent Speeches to Warn Americans of Resurging Communism

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

Shows

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

2.8 Million People in China Evacuated Amid Typhoon Bavi

Breaking news and in-depth analysis from the United States and beyond. We bring you the latest updates, exclusive insights, and sharp discussions on the most pressing issues. NTD Newsroom airs Monday–Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

US Announces Visa Restrictions Targeting Cybercriminals

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Congress

House Passes Legislation to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

NTD Films

NTD+ Movies

The Unrestricted War

Sen. Lindsey Graham Likely Died After Aorta Tear, Medical Examiner Says

China News

China Floods: Thousands at Risk After Multiple Dams Collapse in Guangxi

Jackson Richman is a Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times. In addition to Washington politics, he covers the intersection of politics and sports/sports and culture. He previously was a writer at Mediaite and Washington correspondent at Jewish News Syndicate. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Examiner. He is an alum of George Washington University.

Jackson Richman

House Passes Defense Policy Bill That Attaches SAVE America Act

Bringing you the latest videos, livestreams, and premieres.


NTD Video

Label

Live

NTD+ Live

Trump Signs Executive Order at White House (June 29)

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. 

Jack Phillips

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

Leavitt Previews Trump's Thursday Election Speech

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Russia and the U.S. agreed Tuesday to start working towards ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the two side agreed broadly to pursue three goals: to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation.

He stressed, however, that the talks—which were also attended by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov—marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done down the road.
<h2>Improving Russian-US Relations</h2>
Ties between Russia and the United States have fallen to their lowest level in decades during the war. Both embassies have been hit hard by expulsions of large numbers of diplomats over the course of several years, and the United States, along with European nations, imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia. The allies have repeatedly expanded the measures to damage Moscow's economy.

“Should this conflict come to an acceptable end, the incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians geopolitically on issues of common interest and frankly, economically on issues that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term,” Rubio said.

Tuesday's meeting was meant to pave the way for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the talks wrapped, Putin’s foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, told Russia’s Channel One that no date has been set yet for that summit but that it was “unlikely” to take place next week.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lavrov said that in his view, “the conversation was very useful.” He mentioned the same three goals as Rubio and said that Washington and Moscow agreed to appoint representatives to carry out “regular consultations” on Ukraine.

“We not only listened, but also heard each other," Lavrov said. "And I have reason to believe that the American side has started to better understand our position, which we have once again outlined in detail, using specific examples, based on President Putin’s repeated speeches.”

The meeting marked the most extensive contact between the two countries since Moscow’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. Lavrov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked briefly on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in India nearly two years ago, but tensions remained high.
<h2>Rubio: Ending War Would Require Concessions from All Sides</h2>
No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which came as the beleaguered country is slowly but steadily losing ground against more numerous Russian troops in a grinding war that began nearly three years ago. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country wouldn't accept any outcome from this week's talks if Kyiv doesn't take part.

European allies have also expressed concerns they are being sidelined. France called an emergency meeting of European Union countries and the UK on Monday to discuss the war.

Rubio said Tuesday that ending the conflict would require concessions from all sides and that Europe would be a part of talks.

In talking about sanctions against Russia, Rubio noted that the measures have come from the United States' allies as well.

“The European Union is going to have to be at the table at some point because they have sanctions as well that have been imposed,” he said.

Peskov on Tuesday said that Putin has repeatedly expressed readiness for peace talks, and noted that a durable settlement of the conflict in Ukraine would be impossible without “a comprehensive consideration of security issues” in Europe.
<h2>War Continues</h2>
Meanwhile, Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with drones, according to Kyiv's military. The Ukrainian air force said Russian troops launched a barrage of 176 drones at Ukraine overnight, most of which were destroyed or disabled by jamming.

One Russian drone struck a residential building in Dolynska in the Kirovohrad region, wounding a mother and her two children and prompting an evacuation of 38 apartments, the regional administration reported. Four more residential buildings were damaged by drone debris in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine, according to local officials.

Latest

World News

Videos

01_Lead Story

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

Management

Russia–Ukraine War

02_Second Lead

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.

US and Russia Agree to Work Towards Improving Ties and Ending Ukraine War in Landmark Talks

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (July 28)

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.