Russian President Vladimir Putin has dispatched his foreign minister and a senior Kremlin advisor to meet with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for discussions on restoring relations and potential talks to end the conflict in Ukraine, the Kremlin announced.
In response to a recent conversation with Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump declared their intentions to promptly initiate negotiations to cease the conflict in Ukraine, along with dialogues on the Middle East, energy, the U.S. dollar, and Artificial Intelligence.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, accompanied by Mike Waltz, Trump's national security advisor, and Steve Witkoff, White House Middle East envoy.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that at the request of Putin, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister since 2004, and Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin foreign policy advisor, are en route to Riyadh.
Peskov stated, "Their upcoming meeting with American counterparts on Tuesday will concentrate on the comprehensive reestablishment of Russian-American relations." He added, "The discussions are expected to lay the groundwork for potential negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict and the coordination of a meeting between the two presidents."
Peskov refrained from commenting on a Reuters report regarding a possible meeting between Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's sovereign wealth fund chief, and the U.S. delegation. He also avoided speculating on a potential face-to-face meeting between Putin and Trump in Saudi Arabia later this month.