The Evening: U.S. Russia Talks, DoD Layoffs Expected, Sly Stone, and More

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Good Evening,

It's Tuesday, February 18th.

U.S. and Russia Forge New Path on Ukraine

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Russia agreed to appoint teams to try to end the war in Ukraine, marking an end to three years of U.S. policy that focused on isolating Moscow and supporting Kyiv for as long as it was willing to keep fighting, as the WSJ reports

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Zelensky Response

Shortly after the United States’ opening meeting with Russian officials on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine lashed out at the Trump administration’s negotiating tactics in his harshest terms yet for excluding Ukrainians from talks on their own country’s fate, as the NYT reports

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DoD Layoffs Expected

The Trump administration has directed defense agencies to turn over a list of their probationary employees by the end of Tuesday, with the expectation that many could be laid off as soon as this week, as The Washington Post reports

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Executive Education

As the Trump administration pushes forward its policy agenda, Washington is experiencing significant shifts in power structures and bureaucratic processes. Join Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People

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from March 24-27, 2025 for a guide to navigating the city's distinctive culture, policy dynamics, and political constructs. Register here

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by March 12.

Audio Briefs

CSIS experts give short, spoken-word summaries on the biggest takeaways from their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries—in their own words.

Listen here: “Mining for Defense

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” with CSIS's Christopher Hernandez-Roy and Henry Ziemer.

In That Number

4.5

Following four and a half hours of negotiations between U.S. and Russian officials in Riyadh on Tuesday, the U.S. state department said the two sides would appoint “high-level teams” to seek to end the war in Ukraine and establish a diplomatic channel to resolve bilateral issues.

Source: FT

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Critical Quote

“For us to be able to continue to move down this road, we need to have diplomatic facilities that are operating and functioning normally.”

—Secretary of State Marco Rubio

iDeas Lab

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President Donald Trump’s treatment of allies and partners is more predictable than they may surmise. Trumpian statements, including his newly announced "Fair and Reciprocal Plan" outlining reciprocal tariffs, proliferate about the need for counterparts to do more and to pay their fair share. See full analysis here.

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The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

(Photo credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Russian Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov attend a meeting between Russia and the United States, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18, 2025.

Recommended Reading

"The Transatlantic Alliance in the Age of Trump: The Coming Collisions

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" by CSIS's Max Bergmann.

This Town Tomorrow

At 11:00 a.m.

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, the CSIS Korea Chair discusses South Korea's foreign policy amidst the political crisis in the country.

Later, at 4:00 p.m.

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, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center examines the current state of routine immunizations programs and the impacts of the recent executive orders on U.S. foreign assistance and global health

Earlier, at 9:30 a.m.

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, Brookings holds a conversation on Western-centric assumptions in AI safety frameworks that can perpetuate inequities and bias.

Video

Today, CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department hosted a discussion on the ways in which U.S. allies and partners in the West and in the Asia-Pacific region are navigating the new administration’s policies. Watch the full video here.

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Podcasts

CSIS's Gregory C. Allen breaks down his biggest takeaways from the Paris AI Action Summit. He discusses France’s goals for the summit, Vice President JD Vance’s speech about the US vision for AI, the EU’s approach to the convening, why the US and UK did not sign the summit declaration, and the rebranded UK AI Security Institute.

Listen on Spotify

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& Apple Podcasts

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Smiles

I’ve had a smile on my face since I watched the incredible new documentary about Sly Stone, “Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius),” now streaming on Hulu. The film was directed and produced by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, who is also the famous drummer for The Roots. This film belongs at the very top of the heap when it comes to music documentary, and I will be shocked if it doesn’t win an Academy Award.

“Sly Lives!” both underscores the power of Sly’s enduring influence on modern music as well as his personal decent into drug addiction and disappearance from public life. Pop, rock, R&B, and funk wouldn’t sound like they do today without Sly’s genius. For instance, there is no Prince without Sly.

I’ve posted some of the best live performances ever captured on film/video in this space. Moments like Jimi Hendrix at Monterrey, the Beatles on the roof of Abbey Road Studios, the Stones at Altamont, and James Brown at the Apollo are seared into the cannon of popular culture. Sly and the Family Stone at Woodstock

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is something else altogether. I remember seeing the footage of Sly at Woodstock for the first time in my early teens. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more singular, incendiary performance.

I invite you to email me at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

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The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed by Lauren Adler, Ava Rose, and the External Relations team.

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