Analysis: Untested Trump Team Given Lesson in Diplomacy by Elite Kremlin Negotiators

The first-ever formal face-to-face talks between top Kremlin officials and US President Donald Trump s negotiating team in Saudi Arabia ended in a diplomatic defeat for Washington as Russia doubled down on demands that amounted to a call for Ukrainian capitulation to end its three-year-old full-scale invasion while flatly rejecting mild concessions the US asked for.

During the talks, US delegation leader Secretary of State Marc Rubio proposed a moratorium on civilian energy grid strikes by both Russia and Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in comments following the meetings said the US suggestion was unnecessary as Russia s armed forces hit only Ukrainian military targets and have never attacked Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

Less than 12 hours after the talks had ended, Russia launched almost 150 kamikaze drones aimed at Ukraine s energy grid, of which Ukraine s Air Force said 143 were brought down by its air defenses and electronic warfare jamming.

Ukrainian news media reported some drones penetrated air defenses striking power grid infrastructure in Ukraine s southern Odesa region, leaving at least 160,000 people without electricity and water. News reports said a hospital and a daycare center were hit but no injuries were reported.

Trump called a quick end to fighting in Ukraine a top priority for his administration before and after his re-election as US President. The failure of the US to engage with the Kremlin in the past, combined with Trump s allegedly unique negotiating skills, would convince both Russia and Ukraine to make concessions for the sake of peace, Rubio said in later comments.

via www.kyivpost.com