Kremlin, Washington confirm Riyadh meet as Zelenskyy hovers nearby

A US delegation is to meet with Russian officials in Riyadh on Tuesday, a State Department spokesperson said ahead of a summit on Ukraine between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

"Secretary of State Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with a Russian delegation in Riyadh Tuesday," Tammy Bruce said on Monday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin's diplomatic adviser, are due to fly to Riyadh on Monday, the Russian presidency said last week Tuesday.

The Kremlin spokesman earlier announced that a Russia-US meeting will take place in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.

"Today, on behalf of President (Vladimir) Putin, Foreign Minister Lavrov and Presidential Aide Ushakov are flying to Riyadh," Dmitry Peskov said.

"They are expected to meet with their American counterparts on Tuesday, with discussions primarily focused on restoring the full spectrum of Russian-American relations."

The meeting will focus on the Russia-US bilateral relations, preparations for negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement, and a potential meeting between the leaders of the two countries, Putin and Donald Trump, he also said.

Saudi Arabia was chosen as the venue because it is acceptable to both sides, Peskov noted, adding that discussions on European participation in the Ukrainian settlement talks remain premature.

Zelenskyy is around

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelled to the United Arab Emirates late Sunday as momentum grows for potential peace talks ending Moscow's war on the country.

Zelenskyy arrived in Abu Dhabi after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

The United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news agency did not immediately report on Zelenskyy's arrival, which was unusual.

It wasn't immediately clear what his agenda would be while he was in the country, though Abu Dhabi is hosting its biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference arms show this week, where both Ukraine and Russia have displayed arms — even as Moscow faces Western sanctions over the war.

Zelenskyy, who arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, said he also intended to visit Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, but no dates were set.

He said he had no plans to meet Russian or US officials and Ukraine is not believed to be invited to the Saudi-hosted talks.