Top US and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks on resetting their fractured relations, the first such discussions since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both sides downplayed expectations of a breakthrough in this first high-level meeting between the countries since US President Donald Trump took office. Still, the very fact the encounter is taking place has triggered concern in Ukraine and Europe following the United States’ recent overtures towards the Kremlin. At Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, the talks began without visible handshakes, and no statements were made. A stern-faced US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat across from Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff by his side. Lavrov was accompanied by senior Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban also attended. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was not invited to the discussions. European leaders met in Paris on Monday for emergency talks on how to respond to the radical pivot by the new Trump administration. Preparations for a possible summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are also expected to be on the agenda. Trump is pushing for a swift resolution to the three-year conflict in Ukraine, while Russia sees his outreach as a chance to win concessions. Zelensky said Kyiv “did not know anything about” the talks in Riyadh, according to Ukrainian news agencies, and that it “cannot recognise any things or any agreements about us without us”. As the Riyadh meeting got underway, the Kremlin said a lasting settlement in Ukraine would be “impossible” without addressing the wider issue of European security and that Ukraine had the “sovereign right” to join the European Union but that it was opposed to it joining NATO. “A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding Putin was ready to talk to Zelensky “if necessary”. In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun welcomed “efforts towards peace” in Ukraine, adding that “at the same time, we hope that all parties and stakeholders can participate” in talks. Russia said ahead of the meeting that Putin and Trump wanted to move on from “abnormal relations” and that it saw no place for Europeans to be at any negotiating table.