Russian presidential aide clarifies agenda of talks with US representatives in Saudi Arabia

Senior US and Russian officials will hold talks in Riyadh on Tuesday in an effort to lay the groundwork for peace talks, the US Department of State and the Kremlin confirmed on Monday, Al Jazeera reported.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who will represent Russia at the meeting in Riyadh along with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said the Riyadh talks will focus on “the restoration of normal ties, the possible start of Ukraine talks and the prospects of contacts on the top level.”

He also said that for now the two sides plan to “agree on how to start negotiations on Ukraine because the U.S. side has not yet appointed its chief negotiator.