US and Russian officials hold talks on Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump's concessions raise concerns

On February 18th, according to the Financial Times, US and Russian officials have started talks in Riyadh on the situation in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government and European countries are concerned that US President Trump may resolve the conflict on Putin’s terms. The US seems to have made significant concessions to Putin before the negotiations, rejecting Ukraine’s accession and its desire to regain occupied territory. Former Russian Foreign Minister Kozyrev said that Putin’s goal is to contain NATO expansion, and he has not shown any signs of compromise on the goal, while US concessions may encourage Putin. Putin has not made any public comments on the talks, but last week he told Trump that Russia hopes to “address the causes of the conflict.” Another EU diplomat said, “This means he is considering the entire Eastern European war zone, US bases, and US troops. Even the Turks are concerned that the Americans will reach some Consensus with Putin on the future of NATO.”