Diplomats from Moscow and Washington agree to press ahead with negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The talks, which are taking place in Saudi Arabia, are underscored by the absence of any Ukrainian representative. We talk about the latest diplomatic developments and the role of sanctions in the conflict. Also on the programme: we hear from the patients in Nigeria who are affected by cuts in USAID’s HIV care; and Britain’s new National Poetry Centre. (Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attending a press conference after negotiations with US officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Credit: Shutterstock)
Foreign hello.
Welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service, coming to you live from London.
My name's Paul Henley.
The United States
and Russia have agreed to press ahead at speed
with negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.
After what both called constructive talks in Saudi Arabia
in the absence of any Ukrainian representatives,
negotiators declared themselves satisfied.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio restated an American desire to bring the war to an end.
The goal of today's meeting was to follow up on the phone call the president had a week ago
and begin to establish those lines of communication the work remains.
Today is the first step of a long and difficult journey, but an important one.
And President Trump is committed to bringing an end to this conflict,
as he said when he campaigned for president.
And he wants it to end in a way that's fair.
He wants it to end in a way that's sustainable and enduring,
not that leads to another conflict in two to three years that's not going to be easy to achieve.
But he's the only one in the world that can begin that process.
Donald Trump is the only leader in the world that could initiate that process,