Watch: Rubio, top Russian officials in Saudi Arabia discuss end to war in Ukraine

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with senior Russian leaders in Saudi Arabia early Tuesday, where the group began negotiations around ending the nearly three-year war in Ukraine.

Ukraine was notably not at the table.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement following the meeting that the group agreed to several things including addressing “irritants” to the U.S.-Russia relationship, appointing teams to work on a ceasefire agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, and laying the groundwork for “future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities.”

“President Trump wants to stop the killing; the United States wants peace and is using its strength in the world to bring countries together,” she wrote. “President Trump is the only leader in the world who can get Ukraine and Russia to agree to that.”

“One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace. We must take action, and today we took an important step forward,” Bruce added.

Following the talks, Rubio, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide, gave remarks to the press. National security adviser Mike Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff were also in attendance.

Watch the remarks above.