Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and senior Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov arrived in Riyadh on Monday to lay the groundwork for potential negotiations on Ukraine. The Kremlin confirmed that Saudi Arabia is an appropriate venue for high-level discussions between Russia and the United States.

Ushakov emphasized the significance of the upcoming talks, set to begin on Tuesday, stating that their primary goal is to initiate a genuine normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington. According to Russian news agency Sputnik, the negotiations will be held exclusively in a bilateral format between the two countries.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed optimism, describing the talks as “very good and positive” in an interview with CNN. He noted that discussions would focus on improving US-Russia relations and finding a path to ending the war in Ukraine but cautioned that it was too early to predict any outcomes.

Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and President Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Riyadh, where they met with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

The negotiations mark a key moment in efforts to resolve the nearly three-year-long Russo-Ukrainian war—a conflict that President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to end.