The meeting on February 18 is expected to be the first direct negotiation between the US and Russia since Moscow began its special military campaign in Ukraine in 2022. Previously, media agencies reported that the plane carrying the Russian delegation – including Foreign Minister Lavrov and advisor Ushakov, landed at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh airport to conduct negotiations with the US delegation. Ria Novosti news agency quoted CNN sources as saying that the US delegation to Riyadh includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and US President’s Special Envoy for the Middle East Stephen Witkoff. Before flying to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Lavrov revealed that the proposal to hold this negotiation came from the US and that the Russian representative wanted to listen to his colleagues. According to Mr. Lavrov, the Russian and American negotiating teams will convey the results of the exchange in Riyadh to the heads of the two countries, after which President Putin and his American counterpart will decide on the next steps.