Peace discussions between senior Ukrainian and US officials began in Jeddah on Tuesday just as hundreds of Ukrainian drones were launched at targets in the Moscow region.
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Talks held in Saudi Arabia between the US and Ukraine on ending Russia's war "began in a very constructive way," the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said on Tuesday.
Andriy Yermak is part of the Ukrainian delegation meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff in Jeddah for talks on how to end Moscow's all-out war against Ukraine.
"We're working towards a just and lasting peace," Yermak stated on Telegram. Witkoff, meanwhile, told a reporter simply that the two sides are "getting there".
Ukrainian outlet Suspilne reported that the parties "have already discussed a ceasefire at sea and in the sky, as well as a deal on minerals".
Citing a source familiar with the meeting, the broadcaster reported that the first round of talks had focused on Ukraine's proposal for a maritime and aerial ceasefire.
Ahead of the meeting, Rubio told reporters that the US would be listening to Ukrainian officials about what conditions they considered necessary for peace rather than proposing measures themselves.
"I think we want to listen to see how far they’re willing to go and then compare that to what the Russians want and see how far apart we truly are,” Rubio said.
He also said the "only way" to prevent suffering was to talk about concessions, implying that the US would be asking for Kyiv to reconsider changes to its proposed peace plan, which demands that Russian troops withdraw altogether from its territory.
Two Ukrainian officials told the Associated Press on Monday that would propose a ceasefire covering the Black Sea region, long-range missile strikes, and the release of Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia.
Rubio said that while rare earth and critical minerals deals could be signed, such a deal was not a precondition for the US to move ahead with discussions with either Ukraine or Russia.
Previous talks on the rare earths deal fell apart in late February after an unprecedented public spat in the White House Oval Office during Zelenskyy's visit to US President Donald Trump.
After the meeting collapsed into an on-camera argument, Trump declared that Zelenskyy wasn't "ready" for peace. The Ukrainian president insisted that any deal should contain real security guarantees that could prevent Russia from either continuing the war or reinvading Ukraine after a withdrawal.
The US subsequently paused military support and some intelligence sharing between Washington and Kyiv, a break that members of the Trump administration have suggested could be lifted following positive discussions in Jeddah.
For its part, the Kremlin has stood by its longstanding position that it will cease hostilities on the condition that Ukraine drops its bid to join the NATO military alliance and recognises regions that Moscow has occupied as Russian territory.