Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov are heading to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to meet with a US delegation, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The meeting on Tuesday will lay the groundwork for the much-anticipated meeting between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin to discuss resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that at President Putin’s request, Lavrov and Ushakov are traveling to Riyadh to meet their American counterparts. The discussions will primarily focus on restoring the full scope of US-Russia relations.

Lavrov also voiced support for keeping the European Union out of the upcoming negotiations, accusing Brussels of attempting to prolong the conflict. “If European officials are at the negotiating table to continue the war, then why invite them?” Lavrov said in Moscow on Monday.

Germany has expressed dissatisfaction over being excluded from the talks, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova suggesting that Germany should reflect on the reasons behind this decision.

The exclusion of European leaders from negotiations, particularly in light of recent developments at the Munich Security Conference, signals that the US intends to lead the efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict without European involvement. European leaders have openly criticized their exclusion from the talks.

In a recent telephonic conversation, Lavrov and Rubio discussed various issues, including the planned Trump-Putin meeting. Both parties agreed to maintain communication to resolve US-Russia tensions and remove obstacles to mutually beneficial trade, economic, and investment cooperation, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.