WASHINGTON, February 19. /TASS/. The issue of Russia retaining the territories liberated during its special military operation in Ukraine will be discussed during future negotiations, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told reporters following the Russia-US talks in Riyadh.

"We know just the practical reality is that there is going to be some discussion of territory and there is going to be a discussion of security guarantees. Those are just fundamental basics that will undergird and underlie any type of discussion," he noted.

Replying to a question as to whether the US accepts Russia retaining the liberated areas, he said: "Well, I think those are things that are to be discussed." "And those are things that we will start and do the tough work ahead. But the important thing is that we’ve started that process," the US official emphasized.

On February 18, Russia and the US held talks in Riyadh, which lasted 4.5 hours. Russia was represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential aide Yury Ushakov and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) head Kirill Dmitriev. The US was represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and the US leader’s special envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff.

According to Ushakov, the delegations talked at length about everything on the agenda, including bringing the positions of Russia and the United States together and contacts on Ukraine. Lavrov called the conversation with US officials very constructive and reported that Russia and the United States had agreed to ensure the earliest possible appointment of ambassadors in both capitals. In turn, the US Department of State noted that Lavrov and Rubio agreed on creating negotiating teams on Ukraine as well as on future cooperation on shared geopolitical interests.