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Until now, the U.S. has been trying to isolate Russia over its war against Ukraine. But today, in Saudi Arabia, top Trump administration officials sat down with representatives of Vladimir Putin's Kremlin. They both called it a productive and solid meeting. Ukraine was not at the table, as NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: After several hours of talks in Riyadh, Secretary of State Marco Rubio came away convinced that Russia is ready to begin what he calls a serious process to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine. And he says the world should be thanking President Trump.
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MARCO RUBIO: No one else has been able to bring something together like what we saw today because Donald Trump is the only leader in the world that can. So no one is being sidelined here, but President Trump is in a position that he campaigned on to initiate a process that could bring about an end to this conflict.
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KELEMEN: The meeting was a follow up to a phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin. The two men are expected to meet in person, but the U.S. and Russia have not yet set a date. They agreed to set up a working group on Ukraine to find a solution that is, in Rubio's words, acceptable to all sides. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the conversation very useful.
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SERGEY LAVROV: (Non-English language spoken).
KELEMEN: "We not only listened, but also heard one another," Lavrov told reporters. And he says he believes the Americans have begun to better understand Vladimir Putin's positions. Ukraine's president was due in Saudi Arabia this week but put off the trip until March 10, saying he wants a fair deal, not one negotiated behind Ukraine's back.
The statements coming out of the meetings in Riyadh also did not thrill Daniel Fried, a retired U.S. diplomat who now works with the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. But Fried stopped short of criticizing the administration for this initial diplomatic outreach.
DANIEL FRIED: This is something that could be worked with. It's also something that could be the basis for a terrible deal. We don't - we just don't know yet.
KELEMEN: Trump administration officials often talk about peace through strength, a phrase that harkens back to the anti-Soviet Reagan era. Fried, who served in the U.S. embassy in the Soviet Union and focused on Russia throughout his long career at the State Department, says the Trump team will certainly be tested by Moscow.
FRIED: The test of peace through strength will come when the Russian conditions become known and it becomes clear, as I suspect it will be, that they have no intention of solving this except on their terms. At that point, the Trump people will have to decide whether they'll stare down the Russians, and then we will see. That test will come.
KELEMEN: Fried spoke to NPR from Brussels, where Europeans are worried that the Trump team might force Ukraine to make concessions without getting much in return from the aggressor, Russia.
FRIED: And I've been encouraging the Europeans not to just wring their hands and complain but think what they're going to put on the table.
KELEMEN: The U.K. and France are already proposing troops and some security guarantees. Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz told reporters in Riyadh that the U.S. is counting on Europe and continuing to consult with the Europeans.
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MIKE WALTZ: We all have to contribute to our common defense, and we expect that to - this to be a two-way street for our European allies. And the fact that both the United Kingdom, France and others are talking about contributing more forcefully to Ukraine's security, we think is a good thing.
KELEMEN: But Russia's foreign minister says he told Waltz and Rubio that any European Union or NATO force in Ukraine would be unacceptable to Putin. Lavrov also repeated Moscow's line that Ukraine should never become part of NATO. Trump administration officials have already ceded that in public.
Michele Keleman, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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