Ukraine is "ready to be carved up" by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as the crucial meeting between top officials "shows where the power lies", an expert has said.
Top diplomats from Russia and the US met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss negoitating an end to the war in Ukraine - despite not having any officials from Kyiv at the table. The meeting was attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other senior officials.
Following the meeting, it was confirmed US and Russia have agreed to appoint "high level teams" to begin working on ending the war in Ukraine, according to the US State Department. They said both countries need to "establish a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalise the operation of our respective diplomatic missions."
However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed Ukraine won’t accept any outcome from the talks if his country doesn’t take part. European allies have also expressed their dismay at being ignored.
Head of Department of International Politics at City, University of London, Professor Inderjeet Parmar, believes the meeting between US and Russia officials shows "where the power lies" as the countries look to strike a deal which benefits them economically.
He told The Mirror: "(Given) that Ukraine, NATO and the EU has been excluded from the US-Russia meeting in Riyadh indicates where power lies. President Trump is after material gains for the US – especially Ukraine’s mineral resources such as uranium, lithium, titanium, and rare earth deposits. Currently, China dominates supply chains of rare earth metals -used in military technologies for example. China is the US’ ultimate target, the global context of the talks with Russia.
"Trump says he wants at least $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s rare earth deposits, around half of which actually lie in territories currently occupied by Russia. In return, Trump offers Ukraine security. Hence, the talks with Russia, to try and do a ‘deal’.
"However, this deal is likely to either exclude or subordinate Europeans’ interests in the same minerals. As the EU foreign policy head, Kaja Kallas, noted recently, the EU has poured large amounts of aid into Ukraine and does not want to see Russia taking Ukrainian territories, the US securing natural resources, and Europe paying the bill.
"Given what we know about the Trump administration’s material goals – hence desire to grab Greenland, Panama, Canada, etc – and Trump’s deal-maker personality – the war in Ukraine has little to do with defending democracy or sovereignty: it is a struggle for resources worth hundreds of billions of dollars, if not more. Trump also wants Ukraine to buy more US liquid natural gas."
The professor believes while "high level teams" are appointed to discuss the path to ending the conflict it leaves Ukraine on the "surgeon's operating table" as they wait to discover their fate.
Mr Indeerjet added: "Ukraine increasingly resembles a body on the US, EU and Russian surgeon’s operating table – ready to be carved up, much as colonial terriorties were carved up by the European empires in the 19th and early twentieth centruries. The biggest loser from the process is likely to be Ukraine and its war-weary people."