Ammon News - U.S. and Russian officials met on Tuesday in Riyadh for the most significant talks to date between the two former Cold War foes on ending Moscow's war in Ukraine.

The two sides were expected to discuss ways to end the conflict in Ukraine and restore American-Russian relations. The conversation could pave the way for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine, which is not attending the talks, says no peace deal can be made on its behalf in Riyadh.

Russia said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would meet top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in talks that would focus on ending the Ukraine war and restoring "the whole complex" of Russia-U.S. ties.

The head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund on Tuesday described Trump as a problem solver ahead of the discussions in Saudi Arabia.

"We really see that President Trump and his team is a team of problem solvers, people who have already addressed a number of big challenges very swiftly, very efficiently and very successfully," Kirill Dmitriev told reporters in Riyadh. Reuters