"Today, (Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov and (Putin aide) Yuri Ushakov will fly to Riyadh and a meeting is expected Tuesday with the Americans, devoted primarily to restoring the whole complex of Russian-American relations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"Also, it will be dedicated to possible negotiations on a Ukrainian resolution, and organising a meeting between the two presidents."

Meanwhile , a source close to the Saudi government confirmed to AFP that Saudi Arabia will host high-ranking US and Russian officials on Tuesday for a preparatory meeting ahead of a summit on Ukraine between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will represent the US side, the source said.

The talks come amid a burst of diplomacy on the Ukraine conflict, kick-started by the US leader's phone calls to both Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky last week in which he pressed both presidents to end the fighting.

Moscow has said it wants to hold discuss a plethora of broad security issues other than a possible Ukraine ceasefire.

Russia has repeatedly blasted Western military alliance NATO's presence in central and eastern Europe and had asked it to withdraw troops from several east European countries before launching its full-scale military offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.

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