US officials are preparing to hold preliminary negotiations in Riyadh with Russia over Ukraine, as European powers meet in Paris to demand the inclusion of Kyiv and themselves in the talks.
A meeting is expected as soon as Tuesday between the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio. European leaders fear Russia will use the talks to demand Ukrainian neutrality and to split the country into spheres of influence.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Sunday repeated his prediction that Russia will attack Nato if the US withdraws its support for Ukraine, claiming to have seen intelligence suggesting Moscow is readying its army to do so.