ANKARA, February 24. /TASS/. Russia intends to continue contacts with the United States, as the talks in Riyadh gave hope for a normal dialogue with the American side, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

"We provided our Turkish counterparts with a detailed account of the Russian-American negotiations that took place on February 18 in Riyadh, which were positively assessed for their potential to establish a more normal dialogue, despite the numerous contradictions that remain," Lavrov remarked.

"Without a normal dialogue, it will be unclear whether we can resolve these contradictions. We will continue our contacts with our American partners, and there is a corresponding agreement on this," Lavrov added.

On February 18, the Russian and American delegations convened in Riyadh for 4.5 hours of discussions. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff.

According to Ushakov, the delegations engaged in a serious discussion covering all the issues they intended to address, including the alignment of positions between Russia and the US, as well as communication regarding Ukraine. Lavrov described the conversation with Washington’s representatives as very constructive, stating that both Russia and the United States had agreed to expedite the appointment of ambassadors in their respective capitals. The Department of State, for its part, noted that Lavrov and Rubio at the meeting agreed to set up negotiating groups on Ukraine, as well as future cooperation on common geopolitical interests.