Welcome to the News Hour. Today, top Russian and U.S. officials met in person for the first time

since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a thousand days ago. The goal, they said, was to chart a path towards peace.

And there was more. The U.S. and Russia raised the possibility of lifting the sanctions they've aimed at each other.

They also agreed to work

toward restoring staffing at their embassies. But there was one glaring omission. Ukrainian

officials were not in the room. It was a face-to-face not seen in almost three years. U.S.

officials led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting with their Russian counterparts

in Saudi Arabia to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine and chart a path toward improving

bilateral relations.

After more than four hours behind closed doors, the U.S. delegation said it saw hints

of progress.

We couldn't have imagined a better result after this session.

It was very, very solid.

I came away today convinced that they are willing to begin to engage in a serious process.

But just as notable as the talks themselves was a particular absence.

Ukraine was not invited. President

Volodymyr Zelensky postponed his own visit to Saudi Arabia, meeting today instead with Turkey's

President Erdogan. Turkey is both friendly with Russia and a member of NATO. Zelensky reiterated

that there could be no peace deal without a seat for Ukraine at the table.

This Russian-American meeting in Saudi Arabia was a surprise for us.

For Ukraine and for our region, for Europe, it is critical that any negotiations to end the war are not happening

behind the backs of the key parties affected by the Russian aggression.

...