Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks

U.S. and Russia negotiate Ukraine deal in Saudi Arabia — 'Trump is siding with the aggressor, blaming the victim. In the Kremlin they must be jumping for joy.' (Image credit: Evelyn Hockstein / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

U.S. and Russian officials met for four hours in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, agreeing to normalize relations and open high-level negotiations on ending Moscow's war in Ukraine. When Ukraine objected to being left out of peace negotiations, President Donald Trump responded by blaming Kyiv for Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion and the ongoing bloodshed.

Who said what

The "striking display of bonhomie" in Riyadh was a "head-spinning reset" of the U.S.-Russia relationship under Trump, The New York Times said. Ukraine and America's NATO partners were "sidelined by a relatively inexperienced team of Trump aides," Reuters said, and Russia was "granted concessions even before the talks got under way." Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his team and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's negotiators discussed the parameters of a peace deal and "the incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians" once the Ukraine war ended.

Ukraine was "not invited to this Russian-American meeting in Saudi Arabia," which was "a surprise for us," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. "Decisions on how to end the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine, nor can any conditions be imposed."

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Trump, fielding questions at his Mar-a-Lago residence, sided with Russia. Ukraine has had a seat at the table "for three years, and a long time before that," he said, appearing to address Zelenskyy. "You should have never started it. You could have made a deal." Russia, which invaded Ukraine without provocation, "wants to do something," Trump said. "They want to stop the savage barbarianism."

Those were "some of the most shameful comments uttered by a president in my lifetime," said Ian Bond of London's Center for European Reform in a post on social media. "Trump is siding with the aggressor, blaming the victim. In the Kremlin they must be jumping for joy."

What next?

Rubio said the U.S. and Russia would first remove restrictions on each other's embassies after a decade of reprisals, then discuss "parameters of what an end" to the Ukraine war would look like. "No one is being sidelined here," he said. "Obviously, there's going to be engagement and consultation with Ukraine, with our partners in Europe and others. But ultimately, the Russian side will be indispensable to this effort."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.