US and Russian officials met today in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, Reuters reports.
The agency says these are the highest-level talks between the two former Cold War enemies.
The two sides are expected to discuss ways to end the conflict in Ukraine and restore US-Russian relations.
Agence France-Presse reported that talks between delegations from Russia and the United States began in Riyadh today, with the aim of reviving relations that have been at their lowest point since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Beta agency reported.
The delegations, led by the heads of US and Russian diplomacy, Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov, met at the Diria Palace.
A photo published by Reuters shows US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mossad bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, US National Security Advisor Mike Walz, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov sitting at the table.
Ukraine, which is not attending, says a peace agreement cannot be concluded on its behalf.
"We, as a sovereign country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week.
European governments, alarmed by the prospect that Russia and the United States could cut them off from negotiations that will determine the continent's future security, have also demanded a role in the peace talks. The media were allowed to film the two delegations before the talks began.
Reuters reports that officials ignored questions from reporters who asked whether the US was sidelining Ukrainians and what concessions Washington was seeking from Moscow.
The talks in Riyadh are the first talks at this level and in this format since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The conversation could pave the way for a summit between United States (US) President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Russia said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would meet with top US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in talks that would focus on ending the war in Ukraine and restoring the "whole complex" of Russia-US ties.
The head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund today described Trump as a problem solver ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia.
"We really see that President Trump and his team are a problem-solving team, people who have very quickly, very efficiently and very successfully faced a large number of major challenges," Kirill Dmitriev told reporters in Riyadh.
Dmitriev, a former Goldman Sachs banker educated in the US, played a role in early contacts between Moscow and Washington during Trump's first presidential term from 2016-2020.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, said on Monday that Dmitriev could join the delegation to discuss any economic issues that might arise.
The talks came after European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit to agree on a unified strategy.
They were blindsided by Trump's push for urgent talks on Ukraine after his phone call with Putin last week, according to Reuters.
European leaders have said they will invest more in defense and take the lead in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
"Everyone feels a great sense of urgency. At this crucial moment for Europe's security, we must continue to stand behind Ukraine. Europe will have to contribute to preserving any agreement, and cooperation with the Americans is essential," Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on the social network X.
Bonus video:
