On Tuesday, the United States and Russia agreed to address issues affecting their relationship and start planning to resolve Russia's conflict in Ukraine, according to the State Department. The effort is in its initial stages. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz, and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia following a recent phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. They discussed setting up a mechanism to improve bilateral relations and normalizing diplomatic ties, as stated by State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. Both sides formed high-level teams to work on ending the Ukraine conflict promptly and in a sustainable manner satisfying all parties involved. The State Department emphasized that the meeting marks a significant early step in an ongoing process. Bruce noted, "One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace."