Berlin, 18 February 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The United States and Russia began preparations for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during high-level negotiations on Tuesday, Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said.

Speaking after a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia, Ushakov said intensive preparatory work by the delegations was still needed before the summit, dampening speculation that the presidential meeting could take place as early as next week.

Rubio and Lavrov agreed that negotiators from the US and Russia should make contact in order to work towards ending the war in Ukraine, Ushakov said, according to Russian news agencies.

The meeting, which Ushakov said lasted several hours, was the first between US and Russian foreign ministers since before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.

Photo: EPA