What significance does the recent meeting between U.S. and Russian delegations have for the Ukraine conflict?

This meeting represents the first critical step in what will likely be a lengthy peace process involving Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia. Its primary significance is that it has reopened high-level diplomatic channels between the U.S. and Russia that have been dormant for years since the war began. The discussions appear to be laying groundwork for potential peace negotiations, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlining four key goals from the meeting. While this marks important diplomatic progress, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's absence from these initial talks underscores the complexity of establishing a sustainable path toward resolution.