The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about negotiating a settlement to end the war in Ukraine as high-level talks began in Saudi Arabia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would prefer to achieve all its aims peacefully.
Putin sent Russia's army into Ukraine in 2022. He has repeatedly said he is ready to discuss an end to the war that reflects the reality on the ground, where advancing Russian forces now control nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Western intelligence, European leaders and former US president Joe Biden have repeatedly asserted that they do not think Putin really wants peace, though US President Donald Trump says he does think Putin is serious.
"President Putin has been repeating his words about his readiness for peace talks from the very beginning," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. And, of course, we prefer peaceful means to achieve our goals."
Peskov said there was no understanding yet about a date for a meeting between Putin and Trump, though the Riyadh talks might bring clarity.
Asked if Putin was willing specifically to negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Peskov said Putin had repeatedly said that he was.
But he also said any agreement would have to take into account a possible challenge to Zelenskiy's legitimacy, a reference to the fact that Zelenskiy has remained in office beyond the end of his normal term because Ukraine is under martial law.
US and Russian officials are expected to discuss ways to end the conflict in Ukraine and restoring American-Russian relations.
The conversation could pave the way for a summit between Trump and Putin as the two sides discuss restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations.
Russia said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are holding talks with top US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, focused on ending the Ukraine war.
Ukraine says no peace deal can be made on its behalf in the talks, to which Kyiv was not invited.
The talks come after European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit to agree on a unified strategy after they were blindsided by Trump's push for immediate talks on Ukraine after a phone call with Putin last week.
The European leaders said they would invest more in defence and take the lead in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
"Everyone feels the great sense of urgency," Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X. "At this crucial time for the security of Europe we must continue to stand behind Ukraine."
"Europe will have to make a contribution towards safeguarding any agreement, and co-operation with the Americans is essential," he said.
The meeting comes barely a month after Trump took office and reflects a significant departure from Washington's position under the administration of former president Biden, who eschewed public contacts, concluding that Russia was not serious about ending the Ukraine war.
Russia, which has occupied parts of Ukraine since 2014, launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
US officials sought to cast Tuesday's talks as an initial contact to determine whether Moscow is serious about ending the war in Ukraine.
"This is a follow-up on that initial conversation between Putin and President Trump about perhaps if that first step is even possible, what the interests are, if this can be managed," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters in Riyadh.
Then-President Biden and Kyiv's allies around the world imposed waves of sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine three years ago, aimed at weakening the Russian economy and limiting the Kremlin's war efforts.
Riyadh, which is also involved in talks with Washington over the future of the Gaza Strip, has played a role in early contacts between the Trump administration and Moscow, helping to secure a prisoner swap last week.
The US decision has sparked a realisation among European nations that they will have to do more to ensure Ukraine's security.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said he was willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, said there must be a US security commitment for European countries to put boots on the ground.
Agencies
