Putin sends Russia's top diplomat and Kremlin adviser to meet Trump officials in Saudi Arabia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dispatched Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov to Saudi Arabia for talks with U.S. officials on Tuesday, focusing on restoring U.S.-Russia relations and potential negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin confirmed Monday.

The meeting follows a phone call last Wednesday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they agreed to begin peace talks with Ukraine immediately.

Trump said they also discussed the Middle East, energy markets, the U.S. dollar, and artificial intelligence.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will represent the United States at the talks in Riyadh.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the meeting would focus on “restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations” and preparing for potential negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement and a possible future meeting between Putin and Trump.

Peskov declined to comment on reports that Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, might also meet with the U.S. delegation. He also did not confirm whether Putin and Trump would meet in Saudi Arabia later this month.