The State Department stated that the meeting between US and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia is "not yet negotiations."

The meeting between representatives of Russia and the United States in Saudi Arabia should not be seen as the beginning of negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine.

Source. This was stated by U.S. State Department spokesperson Tami Bruce, as reported by BBC.

The meeting scheduled for Tuesday, according to her, is merely a preliminary step where the U.S. will assess how "seriously" Moscow is committed to concluding the war in Ukraine.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who will represent Russia at the meeting in Riyadh alongside Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, also mentioned that the parties intend to "discuss how to start negotiations regarding Ukraine, as the American side has not yet appointed its main negotiator."

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Kyiv was not informed in advance about the U.S.-Russia meeting.

He emphasized that Ukraine will not recognize any agreements reached without its involvement.

Background. Previously, media reports indicated that negotiations between Russia and the U.S. in Saudi Arabia might take place on Tuesday. The Russian delegation is likely to be led by Lavrov.