US and Russian officials meet for high-stakes talks without Ukraine

High-stakes talks in Saudi Arabia between US and Russian officials kicked off on Tuesday in a bid to improve ties and start negotiations to end Moscow's war in Ukraine.

The meeting in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh is the first in-person discussion between top officials from both countries since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov are slated to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The meeting comes as US President Donald Trump upended years of foreign policy towards Russia by holding a phone call with Putin last Wednesday and declaring that both had agreed to start negotiations immediately.