Russia Refutes Claims of U.S.-Russia Talks Scheduled in Saudi Arabia

Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday that reports about a follow-up meeting between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia this week were incorrect, asserting that no such discussions were planned.

“The Foreign Ministry is not scheduled to hold any meetings in Riyadh today,” the ministry was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was engaged in talks with Iranian officials in Tehran.

This statement comes one week after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lavrov conducted discussions in the Saudi capital, which was the first direct engagement between senior American and Russian officials since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

That conversation led to an agreement for both nations to appoint negotiators to facilitate potential peace discussions regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and to create a “consultation mechanism” for resolving disputes.

Earlier reports had suggested that lower-ranking U.S. and Russian officials were scheduled to meet in Riyadh on Tuesday, with unnamed diplomatic sources referring to it as a “sign of progress” in the bilateral relations.

This diplomatic initiative follows a phone conversation earlier this month between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which caused concern among European leaders and indicated a departure from the previous U.S. policy aimed at isolating Russia.

On Monday, Trump expressed optimism about ending the war in Ukraine, saying he anticipated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would visit the White House within two weeks to finalize a deal that would allow U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare mineral resources.

Putin later mentioned that Russia was amenable to U.S. investment in key minerals in Ukrainian territories under Russian control and noted that American and Russian companies were already in discussions regarding collaborative economic projects related to the resolution of the conflict.

AFP also contributed to this report.