Russian foreign minister and top Kremlin aide traveling to Saudi Arabia for talks with U.S. officials, says Kremlin
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and chief Kremlin foreign-policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, will travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with U.S. representatives at the request of Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced.
Peskov said the February 18 meeting will focus on “restoring the full scope of Russian-American relations” and “preparing potential negotiations on a settlement in Ukraine, as well as a possible meeting between the two presidents.”
He declined to comment on whether Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, would be part of the Russian delegation. Bloomberg previously reported that Dmitriev would take part in the talks, while Interfax stated that he is scheduled to meet with U.S. representatives in Saudi Arabia to discuss economic cooperation.
The U.S. delegation will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, the State Department confirmed. Rubio has reportedly already arrived in Saudi Arabia.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the talks, saying they would include representatives from Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine. He also said he plans to meet Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia, with the meeting expected later in February.
For Kyiv, news of the negotiations came as a surprise, Politico reported. On February 16, a Ukrainian government delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia to prepare for a visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, Zelensky has said that no meetings with U.S. or Russian representatives are planned during his trip.
According to NBC News, the U.S. plans to hold separate talks with Russia and Ukraine before any potential joint negotiations.
