US-Russia talks begin in Saudi Arabia

Russian and US delegations have begun high-level talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at restoring diplomatic relations and paving the way for a settlement of the Ukraine conflict.

The meeting in Riyadh is attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, and Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The US is represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Steve Witkoff, the special envoy for the Middle East.

Neither Ukraine nor its EU backers are taking part in the talks. In the run-up to the meeting, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky signaled that Kiev was not invited and that it “considers any negotiations about Ukraine that are being held without Ukraine as having no results…