Senior US and Russian officials have concluded extensive talks at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – the most significant diplomatic engagement between the two powers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia's crown prince may not be inside the room where the first high-level talks between Russia and the United States over Moscow’s war on Ukraine are taking place.

Three Americans and two Russians made up the two teams at the talks in Saudi Arabia that have underscored an end to Western isolation of Moscow. The men described the meeting as preparing the groundwork for broader "high-level" talks and agreed to reset their countries' diplomatic relations.