Senior diplomats from Russia and the United States agreed Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to initial steps toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving relations between Moscow and Washington.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff, and national security adviser Mike Waltz represented the U.S. in the meeting, while Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Saudi national security adviser Mosaad bin Mohammad Al Aiban also participated in the conversation.