Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Ukraine would not be excluded from negotiations to end the war, but success would depend on raising the level of trust between Moscow and Washington.

Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, told reporters he's "convinced" that Russia is willing to engage in a serious process of ending the war. Referencing criticisms from Ukraine's European allies, who also missed an invite, he said nobody was "sidelined" from the meeting.

Russia and the U.S. agreed Tuesday to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties, the two countries' top diplomats said after talks that reflected an extraordinary about-face in U.