Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has said Putin is ready to hold talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but that "the establishment of agreements should be discussed given the existing possibility of Zelenskyy's legitimacy being challenged".

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh, but Ukraine has not been invited.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is willing to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, Russian media reported on Tuesday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was serious about negotiating a settlement to end the war in Ukraine as high-level talks began in Saudi Arabia, and that Russia would prefer to achieve all its aims peacefully.