Russia remains committed to a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict and is ready to host direct talks between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, despite doubts about the legality of President Zelensky - RT quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying at a press conference on February 18.
Zelensky's presidency ended last year, which has cast Russia into doubt his authority to sign international treaties on behalf of Ukraine.
However, Mr. Peskov emphasized that President Putin is always open to dialogue with President Zelensky if this helps achieve the goal of peace.
On the same day, February 18, senior US and Russian officials met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to seek a way to restore bilateral relations, which had been severely strained by the Ukrainian conflict.
The negotiations are the result of a phone call on February 12 between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin.
Although both leaders did not attend directly, on the Russian side there were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev and Mr. Yury Ushakov, President Putin's top foreign policy assistant.
The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Special Envoy to the Middle East Stephen Witkoff.
Mr. Dmitriev affirmed that restoring dialogue is necessary, not only for the benefit of Russia but also for the US economy itself. "The whole world is watching to see if the US and Russia can improve relations. Better relations will help us solve many global problems" - he said.
