Voice of America News reports: “Top U.S. and Russian diplomats met for several hours Tuesday in Saudi Arabia about relations between their countries and a potential end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Both sides tempered expectations ahead of time, describing the talks as an initial step that could lay the framework for direct talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the U.S. delegation, which included national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Russia’s side included Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and senior Putin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Ukrainian leaders said they were not invited to participate. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to host the U.S. envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, for talks on Wednesday…”