Russia and the United States have had their first meeting since the start of the Ukraine war, aimed at restoring relations and preparing the ground for ending the conflict.

While U.S. officials characterized the talks as the first step in a peace deal, the Russians are portraying them as a way to end Moscow’s isolation.

Russian and U.S. officials are holding their first formal meeting in years on Tuesday, for talks on how to end the war in Ukraine. The meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov marks the first formal sit-down meeting between top U.