India, Feb. 18 -- The top diplomats from Russia and the US met in Saudi Arabia to discuss ways to improve ties between the two countries and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Notably, no Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country won't accept any outcome from this week's talks if Kyiv doesn't take part. European allies have also expressed concerns they are being sidelined. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the meeting.

Restoring staffing at embassies: Marco Rubio said that the two countries agreed to restore staffing at their respective embassies, according to an Associated Press report. Both embassies have been hit har...