Russian and Ukrainian officials are to discuss bringing about an end to their war during talks with the US in Saudi Arabia.
Delegations from Moscow and Kyiv will speak with American officials in separate rooms, with talks involving Ukraine beginning on Sunday.
However, the Kremlin, whose representatives will begin talks on Monday, has downplayed expectations for a rapid resolution to the conflict, warning that “difficult negotiations” were to come.
What is happening in Saudi Arabia?
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s defence minister, confirmed on Sunday afternoon that talks with the US had begun.
The Ukrainian politician said he expected discussions to centre around proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure.
The Kremlin said a resumption of a Black Sea grain deal would be the “main” topic during its talks with the US on Monday.
Gen Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, previously suggested the discussions would take place in neighbouring rooms.
However, the US’s talks with Ukraine now appear to have been brought forward. It is not clear how long they will last, but previous negotiations between Kyiv and Washington took more than eight hours. Discussions with Moscow lasted about five hours.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, sent Andriy Yermak, his chief of staff, to the high-level discussions, while the US sent Marco Rubio, the country’s secretary of state. However, the pair will not be present this time, with working-level officials attending instead.
What has been agreed upon already?
After separate calls with Mr Trump, both Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and Mr Zelensky agreed in principle to pause attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure.
Mr Zelensky also previously agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire but Putin rejected this and shortly after agreeing to a partial pause in fighting, ordered an attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine later responded with attacks against several military targets, including the Kremlin’s Engels military airbase 700 miles deep inside Russia.
Mr Zelensky later admitted the ceasefire was unlikely to come into effect until it had been formally agreed in a document between the two countries.
Ukraine has reportedly prepared a list of targets to give to the US that would be off-limits during any partial truce.
What does Ukraine want?
Mr Zelensky said he had initially sought a broader ceasefire but was now focused on working with the US to stop attacks on power plants and civilian sites. He had also suggested including rail and port facilities in the agreement.
Ukraine’s primary goal centres around security guarantees, which Kyiv hopes the US is willing to provide to enforce any future peace deal.