PANews reported on February 18, market news: The United States said that the United States and Russia agreed to appoint a working group to end the conflict in Ukraine.

The U.S. and Russia agreed on Tuesday to address friction points and begin work to pave the way to an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the State Department said, but it made clear that the effort was still in its early stages. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said after the Riyadh meeting that one call plus one meeting was not enough to establish a lasting peace. He said the two sides also agreed to appoint a high-level negotiating team for Ukraine to "work to find a path to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible in a lasting, sustainable and acceptable way to all parties." The United States and Russia will also begin to consider "cooperation on issues of common geopolitical interest and the historic economic and investment opportunities that will result from a successful end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine."