The talks, scheduled for Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, mark another pivotal step by the Trump administration to reverse US policy on isolating Russia and are meant to pave the way for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The recent US diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Kyiv and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that won't be favourable to them.
France called an emergency meeting of European Union countries and the UK on Monday to decide how to respond.
Russian state TV reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov set off for the Saudi capital on Monday.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet the Russian delegation.
Ukraine will not participate.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks will be primarily focused on "restoring the entire range of US-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement and organising a meeting of the two presidents".
Tammy Bruce said the meeting aims to determine how serious the Russians are about wanting peace and whether detailed negotiations can be started.
"I think the goal, obviously, for everyone is to determine if this is something that can move forward," she told reporters travelling with Rubio in Saudi Arabia.
Bruce said that even though Ukraine would not be at Tuesday's talks, actual peace negotiations would not take place without Ukraine's involvement.
With AAP.
