Waltz after talks in Saudi Arabia: This needs to be permanent end to war, not temporary one

That's according to The Guardian, Ukrinform reports.

"There's some underlying principles. This needs to be a permanent end to the war, and not a temporary end, as we've seen in the past. We know just the practical reality is that there is going to be some discussion of territory, and there's going to be discussion of security guarantees. Those are fundamental basics that will, that will undergird and underlie any type of discussion," Waltz said.

He stressed that the most important part is U.S. President Donald Trump's determination to end Russia's war against Ukraine and "end the killing that is going on."

"It [the war] is not in the interest of either country. It's not in the interest of the world, and certainly not in the interest of the United States and Europe. So all of those things will drive the negotiations going forward," Waltz added.

He also stressed that Trump is in direct contact with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"If you're going to bring both sides together, you have to talk to both sides. And we'll continue to remind everyone, literally, within minutes of president Trump hanging up with President Putin, he called [and] spoke with president Zelensky," Waltz said.

Asked about Ukrainians and Europeans feeling sidelined in these talks with Russia, Waltz insisted that the U.S. has been consulting with its allies almost on a daily basis and will continue to do so.

Negotiations between the U.S. delegation and Russian officials began in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met ahead of the talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Among the U.S. officials present in Riyadh were National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

Representing Russia were chief foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund -- both of whom played a behind-the-scenes role in a recent prisoner release deal with the U.S.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Putin fears direct talks with Ukraine, seeing them as a sign of weakness and defeat.

On Monday, February 17, Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine would not participate in nor recognize the outcome of the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia.