Russia Denies Follow-Up Talks With U.S. Officials in Saudi Arabia
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Earlier, media reports claimed that lower-level U.S. and Russian officials were set to meet Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with anonymous diplomatic sources describing it as a “sign of progress” in relations between the countries.
The diplomatic push follows a phone call earlier this month between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which unsettled European leaders and signaled a shift from the previous U.S. administration’s policy of isolating Russia.
Trump on Monday expressed confidence in ending the war in Ukraine and said he expected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House within two weeks to sign a deal granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare mineral resources.
Putin later said Russia was open to U.S. investment in strategic minerals in Russian-occupied Ukraine and that American and Russian companies were already “in touch” regarding joint economic projects linked to resolving the war.
AFP contributed reporting.
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