WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with his European counterparts Tuesday following a high-level meeting between American and Russian officials in the Saudi capital Riyadh, amid concerns among European allies over their exclusion from the talks.

According to a statement from State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Rubio briefed the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, along with the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs following the talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine.

"The group agreed to remain in close contact as we work to achieve a durable end to the conflict in Ukraine," said Bruce.

The Riyadh talks, hosted by Saudi Arabia to facilitate diplomatic dialogue, marked the first direct meeting between US and Russian diplomats since the war began on Feb. 24, 2022.

Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential aide Yury Ushakov and Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev.

Rubio was accompanied by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

With no European leaders or Ukrainian representatives invited to the Riyadh meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted European leaders in Paris on Monday to discuss the US push for Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ankara on Tuesday to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and emphasized during a press conference that any discussions on ending the war in Ukraine must include Ukraine.

Following the talks in Riyadh, Rubio told reporters that Tuesday's meeting marked the "first step of a long and difficult journey but an important one."

"The European Union is going to have to be at the table at some point because they have sanctions as well that have been imposed," he added.