Gulf Cooperation Council countries are not joining the United States and the European Union in sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a Wednesday press conference in Saudi Arabia.

"Aspects of the international situation, which are connected with the events unfolded by the West around Ukraine, are well understood by our partners from the Gulf Cooperation Council states," Lavrov commented, reports Al Arabiya English.

"We appreciate and reaffirmed today once again [that we are grateful for] the balanced position that they take towards this issue at international forums, and in practice, refusing to join the illegitimate, unilateral Western sanctions that were introduced against Russia," he added.

The Gulf countries, meanwhile, are willing to work toward a diplomatic solution, Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told Lavrov.

The Russian foreign minister has been meeting in Riyadh with foreign ministry officials from the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, and said Russia wants to develop a partnership with those countries.

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