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An international politics expert has warned that a potential "deal" between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will lead to Ukraine being "carved up," while commenting on the talks held in Saudi Arabia between American and Russian diplomats.
Knewz.com has learned that the talks in Saudi Arabia resulted in the United States and Russia agreeing to work towards three goals: the establishment of closer relations and economic cooperation, the formation of "a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks," and "to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow."
The meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 18, involved U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Michael Waltz, and special Mideast envoy Steven Witkoff, along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Russian foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov.
In a statement, Rubio stressed that the talks "marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done."
Lavrov seemed to echo Rubio's sentiment as he said that "the conversation was very useful... We not only listened, but also heard each other."
Notably, although the talks involved formulating a plan to find an end to the Ukraine war, the meeting did not include Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long insisted that peace talks regarding Ukraine must involve officials from Kyiv, and has maintained that his country would not accept any outcome from the talks in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine's demands to be included in peace talks came amidst speculations that a settlement regarding the conflict facilitated by the current Donald Trump administration might go in Russia's favor: with the frontline being frozen and Russia retaining the territories it has annexed in Ukraine over the course of the war.
Trump's Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth said in a statement in Brussels on Wednesday, February 12, that "returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is unrealistic, that NATO membership should not be on the table, and that U.S. troops in Ukraine would not be part of any security guarantee," according to reports.
A NATO membership is also something Trump does not see in the cards for Ukraine, as he said previously: "I don’t see any way that a country in Russia’s position … could allow them to join NATO. I don’t see that happening."
Commenting on the talks in Saudi Arabia, Professor Inderjeet Parmar, Head of Department of International Politics at City, University of London, said in a statement:
"(Given) that Ukraine, NATO and the EU has been excluded from the US-Russia meeting in Riyadh indicates where power lies. President Trump is after material gains for the US – especially Ukraine’s mineral resources such as uranium, lithium, titanium, and rare earth deposits. Currently, China dominates supply chains of rare earth metals -used in military technologies for example. China is the US’ ultimate target, the global context of the talks with Russia."
"Trump says he wants at least $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s rare earth deposits, around half of which actually lie in territories currently occupied by Russia. In return, Trump offers Ukraine security. Hence, the talks with Russia, to try and do a ‘deal,’" Prof. Parmar added.
"However, this deal is likely to either exclude or subordinate Europeans’ interests in the same minerals. As the EU foreign policy head, Kaja Kallas, noted recently, the EU has poured large amounts of aid into Ukraine and does not want to see Russia taking Ukrainian territories, the US securing natural resources, and Europe paying the bill."
"Given what we know about the Trump administration’s material goals – hence desire to grab Greenland, Panama, Canada, etc – and Trump’s deal-maker personality – the war in Ukraine has little to do with defending democracy or sovereignty: it is a struggle for resources worth hundreds of billions of dollars, if not more. Trump also wants Ukraine to buy more US liquid natural gas," he further stated.
"Ukraine increasingly resembles a body on the US, EU and Russian surgeon’s operating table – ready to be carved up, much as colonial terriorties were carved up by the European empires in the 19th and early twentieth centruries. The biggest loser from the process is likely to be Ukraine and its war-weary people," Prof. Parmar concluded in his statement.
It is worth noting that U.S. military volunteers fighting alongside Ukraine’s armed forces have branded President Trump a "jacka--" and a "coward" over his private phone call with President Putin the previous week.
Trump spoke to the Russian autocrat on Wednesday, February 12, following which Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the new U.S. position to end the conflict “impressive.”
Ryan O’Leary, an Iraq war veteran who leads Chosen Company, one of the largest foreign volunteer units in Ukraine, said in a statement:
"F--- Trump and his sh---y supposed peace deal... Any peace deal is ultimately up to Ukrainians alone, who should be included directly in talks. Neither Trump nor his administration should have any say in how the war ends."
"Only the soldiers and the Ukrainian people should have that say, not some jackass and his jackass cabinet members sitting behind their white picket-fenced houses on a golf course," O’Leary added.
Furthermore, a Ukrainian military officer called the U.S. an unreliable partner following the call and alleged that this was “the greatest disappointment from the actions of the United States.”
"Your politicians have lost their dignity... Ukraine’s betrayal after Afghanistan will have catastrophic consequences for America’s perception in the world," the officer said in the statement.