The sudden transatlantic chasm over Ukraine will be laid bare this week when US officials start preliminary talks in Riyadh with Russian counterparts about a ceasefire, just as Emmanuel Macron hosts a Paris summit of European defence powers to demand the US ends the lockout of Europe and Kyiv from the process.
Talks are expected as soon as Tuesday between the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, the first such meeting between the two countries in over two years. There are fears in Europe that Russia via the US talks will relaunch its plan for imposed Ukrainian neutrality and a joint US-Russia carve-up with agreed spheres of influence.
