(VOVWORLD) - The top diplomats from the US and Russia met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving ties and negotiating an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
 The US-Russia meeting takes place at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 18, 2025. (Photo: Reuters) |
The meeting is expected to focus on thawing relations between the US and Russia and pave the way for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting was attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other senior officials — US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin.
The Saudi Arabian delegation includes Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and National Security Advisor Musaed Bin Mohammed al-Aiban.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the talks followed a phone call between Trump and Putin last week.
Lavrov said in Moscow at a press conference on Monday that the presidents agreed that it is necessary to resume dialogue on all issues that can be resolved one way or another with the participation of Russia and the United States. "They discussed the Ukrainian settlement, the situation in the Middle East, and several other regions currently experiencing instability,” he added.
The talks in Riyadh are the highest-level US-Russia contact since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022 and are seen as preparation for an upcoming Trump-Putin summit in Saudi Arabia.
The US earlier announced at the recent Munich Security Conference that the US would not invite European allies or Ukraine to the negotiations.