Senior Russian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss improving relations and an end to Moscow’s war in Ukraine – without representatives from Kyiv.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov led the delegations that met at the Diriyah Palace in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh. Rubio was accompanied by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while Lavrov brought along the Kremlin’s foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov. 

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and National Security Advisor Musaed al Alban were present for the start of the meeting but were expected to leave early in the talks.

The meeting symbolizes another significant step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia. The event was meant to lead to a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as Trump has stated they agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference at the Ukraine peace summit in Obbürgen, Switzerland, on June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

The recent U.S. diplomatic efforts regarding the war have sent Kyiv and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Russia and the U.S. could move ahead with a deal that they would not support.

France on Monday called an emergency meeting of European Union countries and the U.K. to determine how to respond. French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke on the phone with Trump and Zelenskyy following the meeting.

“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” Macron wrote on X, adding that he vowed to “work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.