Wednesday Briefing: U.S. and Russia discuss cooperation

February 19, 2025

	By Emmett Lindner

Good morning. We’re covering the meeting between the U.S. and Russia in Saudi Arabia and migrants trapped in Panama.

Plus, the women leading R&B’s new wave.

Several men sit around a table with the flags of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia behind them.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with envoys from Moscow, including the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, right, in Saudi Arabia yesterday. Pool photo by Evelyn Hockstein

U.S. and Russia discussed Ukraine, and renewing ties

Senior U.S. and Russian officials agreed yesterday not only to work together on ending the war in Ukraine, but also to cooperate on financial investment and re-establishing normal relations. The negotiations were the most extensive in years between the two global powers.

The meeting, which took place in Saudi Arabia, was a head-spinning reset of the Russia-U.S. relationship after three years of Western efforts to isolate Moscow for invading Ukraine in 2022. President Trump again demonstrated his intention to roll back an approach toward Moscow that has included sanctions, isolation and weapon deliveries to Ukraine. He also showed his willingness to cast aside the worries of European allies.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, U.S. officials did not dwell on Russia’s violation of international law in attacking Ukraine, the war crimes Moscow has been accused of, or the three years of devastation caused by Russian shelling and bombardment. Instead, they repeatedly praised Trump for trying to stop the fighting by talking to Russia in a way that President Biden had not.

What’s next: Rubio said that the U.S. would engage with Russia about what the end of the war would look like. Both countries would negotiate how to remove restrictions on their embassies in Moscow and Washington and explore new partnerships in geopolitics and in business.

What else is on the table: Russia appeared to use the talks to cater to Trump’s interest in profits and natural resources, arguing that U.S. oil companies and others stood to gain hundreds of billions of dollars by doing business in Russia again.

Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky, angered that Ukraine had not been invited to the meeting, said he was postponing his own visit to Saudi Arabia, which was planned for today.

More on Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Health and Human Services workers that nothing would be off limits in his agenda, including childhood vaccines and psychiatric medicines.
The chief of the Social Security Administration resigned after Elon Musk’s efficiency team sought access to millions of Americans’ personal data, people familiar with the matter said.
The C.I.A. stepped up secret drone flights over Mexico to hunt for fentanyl labs, according to U.S. officials.
Experts say that Trump’s cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services could expose Americans to greater risk if another pandemic erupts.
The White House warned U.S. schools that they could lose federal funding if they considered race in scholarships, hiring and an array of other activities.
Hundreds of American artists called on the National Endowment for the Arts to roll back Trump’s restrictions on diversity or “gender ideology.”
Some tech companies are delaying going public in the middle of market volatility created by the Trump administration’s tariff announcements.
Supported by Mormon voters’ distaste for MAGA politics, Utah’s center-right politicians are trying to reassert a gentler and more civil kind of Republicanism.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former White House chief strategist, called Musk a “parasitic illegal immigrant,” renewing their feud.
Track Trump’s actions since he took office.

People stand outside at a rally, holding signs.

A rally in Tel Aviv this month calling for the release of the remaining hostages. Amit Elkayam for The New York Times

Hamas said it would return remains of Israeli hostages

Hamas’s chief negotiator said yesterday that militants intended to hand over the remains of four Israeli hostages to Israel tomorrow in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. He and the Israeli prime minister’s office also said the number of living hostages scheduled to be released on Saturday would be increased to six from three.

The Hamas negotiator said that members of the Bibas family — some of the most well-known hostages worldwide — would be among the four bodies handed over tomorrow to Israel. Israel did not confirm or comment on that announcement.

Lebanon: Israeli forces yesterday retained control over strategic border points in southern Lebanon as a deadline passed for both Israel and Hezbollah to leave the region.

Displacement: Thousands uprooted by the war in Lebanon have been unable to reach towns occupied by Israel, but some have tried anyway. For one man, the journey was deadly.

People standing on different floors inside a building and looking out the windows.

Federico Rios Escobar for The New York Times

Migrants from the U.S. are trapped in Panama

The Trump administration has sent hundreds of migrants from Afghanistan, Iran and China to Panama over the last week, where they were confined to a single hotel guarded by armed men. Panamanian officials will decide what happens to them next.

The government barred journalists from the hotel, but my colleagues managed to speak by phone with several people locked inside. They told us of their terror and uncertainty, how some deportees attempted suicide while others feared that death waited for them at home.

MORE TOP NEWS

A view of a hospital with people outside.

Pope Francis is being assessed at a hospital in Rome. Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

Vatican: Pope Francis has developed pneumonia in both lungs and will not participate in activities through the weekend because of his health issues, the Vatican said.
Japan: Residents of Okinawa see U.S. bases there as a legacy of war and colonialism, but younger generations also worry about a threat from China.
New York City: Gov. Kathy Hochul raised the prospect of removing Mayor Eric Adams and met with city leaders about a path forward.
Sudan: The Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group battling for power in Sudan’s ruinous civil war, announced plans to form a breakaway government.
Crash: The family of one of the 67 victims of a plane crash last month near Washington filed two legal claims against the federal government.
U.S.: Brutally frigid temperatures descended on central and eastern parts of the country, delivering record-breaking cold.
Health: A safe, affordable supply of medical oxygen is severely lacking around the world, according to a new report.
Abuse: Eleven more women have filed lawsuits against one or more of the Alexander brothers, who are facing multiple accusations of sexual assault.

Sports

Soccer: Tottenham Hotspur raced to sign Mason Melia, a 17-year-old striker, even though he can’t play until 2026 because of Brexit.
Tennis: Inside the “relationship of dependence” that developed between a barred coach and a Wimbledon champion.
Hockey: Canada’s “mind-boggling” goalie crisis has been a decades-long descent.

MORNING READ

People walking on Euston Road in London from a low-angle shot.

Euston Road in London. Daniel Stier for The New York Times

Euston Road isn’t a place Londoners go on purpose — it’s six lanes of suffering on the way to somewhere better, dotted with dismal landmarks and snarled with traffic. But one local grew fond of the shabby street and found that it spoke to how our lives blend into a city and make it a home. Also, she says it has a great E.R.

Lives lived: Paquita la del Barrio, the prolific Mexican vocalist and songwriter known for her powerful feminist ballads, died at 77.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Golden Goose

Endlessly reinvented: Jane Fonda, the actor and activist, spoke to us about aging into her latest role as a sneaker model for the luxury brand Golden Goose.
An inside job: Once America’s leading art consultant, she stole millions from her clients. Is she ready to repent?
Look, but don’t hop on: This carnival has a Keith Haring merry-go-round and a Jean-Michel Basquiat Ferris wheel — but you can only ride them in your imagination.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

Muni Long, Kehlani and H.E.R. embrace and look into the camera.

Muni Long, Kehlani and H.E.R. D’Angelo Lovell Williams

R&B’s new sound grows from its roots

A new R&B era is here, with women artists leading the way. Some are reviving the genre’s gospel roots, while others are hybridizing the genre with hip-hop.

Roughly defined, the new R&B has shorter songs, embraces pop (which has borrowed a lot from R&B) and boasts slick lyrics that appeal to modern appetites. A few of the women at the vanguard of this new sound told us what it means to them.

Listen: Get to know this new sound in nine songs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Mark Weinberg for The New York Times

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Listen: Hear Sabrina Carpenter flirt with country in a duet with Dolly Parton, and 12 more new songs.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Emmett

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