The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian and U.S. officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations and explore potential solutions to end the war in Ukraine.
“At President Putin’s request, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and presidential aide Yuri Ushakov are traveling to Riyadh today,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced during a press briefing on Monday. “They will engage with their American counterparts to focus on restoring the full spectrum of U.S.-Russia relations.”
Peskov added that the discussions would include preparations for “possible negotiations” to end the Ukraine conflict, as well as arranging a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in the future.
According to Axios, over the weekend, Lavrov held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday after a stop in Israel. Rubio is joined by White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who confirmed his travel plans during a Fox News interview on Sunday night.
Axios, citing anonymous sources, reported that the delegations will also work on logistics for a future summit between Presidents Putin and Trump.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce tempered expectations on Monday, stating that the upcoming talks are more exploratory in nature. “I don’t think people should view this as a negotiation or detailed planning session,” Bruce said. “This is a follow-up to the initial conversation between Putin and President Trump to assess whether a first step is even feasible, what the respective interests are, and if the process can be managed.”
Bloomberg previously reported that President Putin has assembled a high-ranking negotiating team, including Foreign Policy Envoy Yuri Ushakov, SVR intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin, and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. While Peskov did not confirm Dmitriev’s involvement, Interfax cited a Saudi source claiming Dmitriev would attend Tuesday’s talks to discuss strengthening economic ties between Moscow and Washington.
The idea for U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia was first floated by Trump during a surprise phone call with Putin last Wednesday. Riyadh officially expressed its willingness to host the discussions on Friday.
However, the prospect of direct talks between Washington and Moscow—without Ukraine’s involvement—has raised concerns about Kyiv’s potential exclusion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was visiting the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, stated that he had no plans to meet with U.S. or Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.
