US, russia agree to "begin path to peace" in Ukraine – Department of State

The United States and aggressor russia have agreed to remove "irritants" in their relations and begin work to end russia's war against Ukraine, Reuters reported on Tuesday, February 18, citing a statement from the U.S. Department of State.

The Department of State noted that the U.S.-russia meeting was an important step in starting a peace process, and that these efforts are currently in the early stages.

"They discussed establishing a mechanism to address "irritants to our bilateral relationship" with the goal of normalizing diplomatic relations. The two sides also appointed high-level teams to work on ending the Ukraine conflict "as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides,” Reuters quoted State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.

"One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace," Bruce said.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on February 18, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia to March 10.

Recall that on February 16, the BBC stated that Ukrainian representatives had not received an invitation to a meeting of high-ranking officials from the United States of America and the aggressor country russia in Saudi Arabia.