MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that the United States could help resolve the Ukrainian conflict, citing its "central role" since the fighting began nearly three years ago.

Lavrov's remarks came ahead of his meeting with US representatives, set for Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. The Kremlin said the two sides are expected to hold talks on negotiating an end to the conflict, which would pave the way for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lavrov said that he does not expect the Europeans to have a seat at the negotiating table, accusing them of seeking to use a potential ceasefire to enable Ukraine to continue the conflict.

He added that Moscow rejects any discussions on territorial concessions to Ukraine during potential negotiations.

The United States had previously urged both Russia and Ukraine to make concessions for peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Kyiv will not attend the upcoming US-Russia negotiations, refusing to accept any result that excludes Ukraine.