Kremlin announced a meeting between representatives from Russia and the United States in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday (18), which, among other matters, will address the preparations for a summit between the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and the president American Donald Trump, as well as future peace negotiations in Ukraine.
By order of Putin, Moscow will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin counselor Yuri Ushakov, who already left for Riyadh, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at his daily press conference said by phone.
“They are expected to hold a meeting with the Americans in Riyadh on Tuesday, which will focus mainly on the restoration of the entire spectrum of Russian-American relations,” Peskov said.
The spokesman added that the meeting will also be dedicated to the “preparation of possible negotiations for an agreement in Ukraine and the organization of the meeting” between Putin and Trump.
The US president confirmed on Sunday that he believes he could find himself “very soon” with the Russian dictator.
Still on Sunday, the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said an American delegation would soon travel to Saudi Arabia to meet Russian authorities. The American press reported that National Security Counselor Michael Waltz and Witkoff himself must participate in the negotiations in Riyadh.
The American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, arrived on Monday Riyadh for the new stage of his first trip to the Middle East, an issue that Kremlin also expects to be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting.
A Ukraine delegation, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, will also be present in the country, although it is unclear if it will participate in these negotiations.
Trump announced last Wednesday, after a telephone conversation with Putin, an agreement to start peace negotiations in Ukraine without Europe, which indicated Brussels and Kiev, who said they will not accept an “back” agreement.
France President Emmanuel Macron also announced a meeting with seven other European leaders in Paris on Monday in a security summit in Europe and the war in Ukraine.
In a statement, the Elisha Palace, headquarters of the French government, confirmed that the president of the European Council, António Costa, will also be present; that of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
In addition to hostess France, heads of state and government of Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark will be present.