Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a senior Kremlin adviser to Saudi Arabia to meet with US officials, Reuters reported, citing the Kremlin, quoted by BTA.
The main topics of the talks will be the restoration of bilateral relations between Russia and the United States, as well as possible negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
After a telephone conversation with Putin, US President Donald Trump announced that the two countries would immediately begin discussions to stop the military conflict. The two leaders also discussed issues related to the Middle East, energy policy, international finance and artificial intelligence.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's national security adviser Mike Walz and US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff are expected to meet with Russian representatives in Riyadh.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Sergei Lavrov, who has headed Russian diplomacy since 2004, and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov are already traveling to Saudi Arabia on Putin's orders.
"They are expected to meet with their American counterparts tomorrow, with the main focus being on restoring Russian-American relations," Peskov said. "The meeting will also include preparations for possible peace talks on the Ukrainian issue, as well as organizing a meeting between the two presidents," he added.
Peskov declined to comment on Reuters' report that Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, would also take part in the talks. He also did not respond to a question about whether a personal meeting between Putin and Trump in Saudi Arabia later this month was possible.