In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, American and Russian officials met on Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the normalization of bilateral relations and the possibility of ending the conflict in Ukraine. The meeting, which lasted nearly 4.5 hours, marked the first high-level talks between the two nations since the onset of the war in Ukraine.

The Russian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and presidential aide Yury Ushakov, met with a US team headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. Both sides expressed a willingness to move forward on several key issues, including the restoration of diplomatic missions, the appointment of ambassadors, and the creation of a framework for Ukraine peace talks.