Senior US and Russian officials have concluded extensive talks at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – the most significant diplomatic engagement between the two powers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Both sides agreed to pursue peace efforts in Ukraine despite Kyiv’s absence from the discussions.

The nearly five-hour meeting brought together US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, presidential aide Yury Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. The delegations agreed to appoint negotiation teams to explore a resolution to the war, as well as potential economic and investment opportunities arising from a peace deal.

This meeting signals a notable shift in Washington’s approach to Moscow under President Donald Trump, diverging from the Biden administration’s previous strategy of isolating Russia.

“President Trump is committed to bringing an end to this conflict, as he said when he campaigned for president,” Rubio told the press following the meeting. “Trump is the only leader in the world that could initiate that process, and today was the first step in that process.”

Rubio also described the meeting as “the first step of a long and difficult journey.”

Lavrov, meanwhile, acknowledged progress but reiterated Moscow’s opposition to certain peace proposals, including the presence of Western troops in Ukraine.

“We explained to our colleagues today what President Putin has repeatedly stressed: that the expansion of NATO, the absorption of Ukraine by the North Atlantic alliance, is a direct threat to the interests of the Russian Federation, a direct threat to our sovereignty,” Lavrov told journalists. “The appearance of armed forces from the same NATO countries, but under a false flag, under the flag of the European Union or under national flags, does not change anything in this regard… of course this is unacceptable to us.”

The talks, facilitated by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), also considered a potential summit between Trump and Putin.

Despite the meeting marking potential progress towards peace, the sight of senior US officials engaging with Russian counterparts has sparked concern across Europe. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, expressed fears that Trump’s peace efforts might compromise Ukrainian interests. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticised the exclusion of Kyiv from the talks, stating that both Ukraine and Europe must be included in any negotiations over the war’s end.

“We want no one to decide anything behind our backs... No decision can be made without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said.