US and Russian officials held their first talks on Ukraine this week in Saudi Arabia in a meeting that excluded Kyiv and European representatives - raising fears across the continent that Donald Trump may be willing to sacrifice Ukrainian interests in the hope of a deal with Vladimir Putin.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to discuss a wide range of topics, including relations with the U.S. and the Ukrainian conflict, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

U.S. and Russian participants have quietly met in Switzerland for unofficial discussions about the Ukraine war in recent months, including as recently as last week, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.