RIYADH, Feb 18: Russia told the United States on Tuesday that settling the war in Ukraine required a reorganisation of Europe's defence agreements, as the superpowers met in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv or the EU.
Moscow has long called for the withdrawal of NATO forces from Eastern Europe, viewing the alliance as an existential threat on its flank.
The continent's defences were raised as part of the talks in Riyadh, which are the first time high-level officials from US and Russia have met since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine three years ago.
Europe, alarmed by Donald Trump's overhaul of US policy on Russia, fears Washington will make serious concessions to Moscow and re-write the continent's security arrangement in a Cold War-style deal between superpowers.
Before invading Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow had demanded NATO pull out of central and eastern Europe.
"A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, responding to a question by AFP.
European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris a day earlier, but struggled to put on a united front. —AFP
