WASHINGTON, February 19. /TASS/. The United States and Russia are methodically exploring various opportunities not only to settle the Ukraine crisis but also to restore bilateral ties along a wide range of topics, a US expert who asked not to be named told TASS.

"The talks thus far reflect a methodical, step-by-step approach not just to end the war in Ukraine but to explore a broader framework for restoring Russia-US relations. The big-ticket items on the agenda, from economic normalization to agreeing on the path to a ceasefire, can only be agreed on the level of heads of state, and the coming Trump-Putin summit will provide clarity as to the policy roadmap when it comes to both of the Ukraine and the US-Russia tracks," he said, commenting on the high-level Russia-US meeting in Saudi Arabia.

On February 18, Russia and the US held talks in Riyadh, which lasted 4.5 hours. Russia was represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential aide Yury Ushakov and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) head Kirill Dmitriev. The US was represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and the US leader’s special envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff.

According to Ushakov, the delegations talked at length about everything on the agenda, including bringing the positions of Russia and the United States together and contacts on Ukraine. Lavrov called the conversation with US officials very constructive and reported that Russia and the United States had agreed to ensure the earliest possible appointment of ambassadors in both capitals. In turn, the US Department of State noted that Lavrov and Rubio agreed on creating negotiating teams on Ukraine as well as on future cooperation on shared geopolitical interests.

Ushakov noted that the date of the meeting between Putin and Trump had not yet been set and is unlikely to take place next week. Saudi Arabia was mentioned as the potential location for the talks.