Negotiating with Moscow

On February 18, 2025, U.S. and Russian officials convened in Saudi Arabia to discuss a potential peaceful resolution to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to explore the broader U.S.-Russia relationship. The meeting followed statements by other U.S. officials indicating a shift away from earlier American commitments to NATO membership for Ukraine and to restoring the country’s territorial integrity. Meanwhile, Ukrainian and European officials voiced concern over their perceived exclusion from the process. Looking ahead, many questions remain surrounding the possible terms of any agreement, the obstacles to peace, and the roles Ukraine and America’s NATO allies will play in the talks.

On February 20, the Center for the National Interest hosted two experts on Russia, Ukraine, and the war to discuss these issues and more. The discussion was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

—Dr. Nikolas Gvosdev is a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and a non-resident fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. He is also a former editor of The National Interest and a current contributing editor.

—Melinda Haring is a senior advisor at Razom for Ukraine, a non-governmental advocacy and assistance organization, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, where she was previously deputy director of the Eurasia Center and editor of Ukraine Alert. She recently returned from meetings in Ukraine.

Paul Saunders, the president of the Center for the National Interest, moderated the discussion.