US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and head of Ukraine's delegation Andriy Yermak have both hailed "good progress" in talks which are underway in Geneva to discuss a proposal to halt the Ukraine war.
"We have very good progress, and we are moving forward to the just and lasting peace Ukrainian people deserve," Mr Yermak told reporters.
Mr Rubio said the talks, which were continuing into the evening, were "probably the most productive and meaningful ... so far in this entire process".
"So I think the takeaway from it is, I think this is a very, very meaningful, I would say, probably best meeting and day we've had so far in this entire process, going back to when we first came to office in January," Mr Rubio told reporters.
It comes as US, Ukrainian and European officials are currently meeting in Geneva for talks on a draft plan presented by Washington to end the war.
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Mr Rubio is meeting Ukrainian officials seeking to "iron out" details of Washington's plan to end the war, as Kyiv hailed "reinvigorated diplomacy".
US President Donald Trump has given Ukraine until 27 November to approve his controversial plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, but Kyiv is seeking changes to a draft that accepts a range of Russia's hardline demands.
Before the Ukrainian delegation met with the Americans this afternoon, President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed that "diplomacy has been reinvigorated", voicing hope "the conversation can be constructive".
"The bloodshed must be stopped," he said on X, insisting: "We all need a positive outcome".
In Geneva, Ukraine's top negotiator Andriy Yermak said his delegation had met with high-level officials from Britain, France and Germany before heading into the meeting with Mr Rubio.
The 28-point plan would require the invaded country to cede territory, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO. Mr Trump told reporters yesterday it was not his final offer and he hoped to stop the fighting "one way or the other".
"Today we hope to iron out the final details of the peace agreement," a US official said, asking not to be named.
Recognise European 'centrality'
The US plan was drafted without input from Ukraine's European allies, leaving them scrambling to come up with a counter-offer to strengthen Kyiv's position.
"Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, stressing that the "centrality" of the European Union's role must be "fully reflected" in any peace plan.
Ukraine's European allies gathered at the G20 summit in South Africa stressed that the US plan requires "additional work".
"We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine's armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack," the leaders of key European countries, Canada and Japan said in a joint statement.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere meanwhile warned of "major flaws" in the US plan.
"One of them is to get Europe at the table and, not least, get Ukraine at the table," he told AFP in South Africa.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the senior officials were meeting in Geneva "to take things further forward", stressing the importance of solid "security guarantees" for Ukraine under any settlement.
French President Emmanuel Macron meanwhile told a news conference at the G20 that the plan contained points that had to be more broadly discussed as they concerned European allies, such as Ukraine's NATO ties and Russian frozen assets held in the EU.
He said the 30 countries in the "coalition of the willing" supporting Kyiv will hold a video call on Tuesday following the Geneva talks.
European Union countries were also planning to meet to discuss the Ukraine situation on the sidelines of a meeting with African leaders in Angola tomorrow.
Read more: Ukraine, US to start talks in Switzerland on Trump's plan to end war, says Kyiv
'Wish list'
The Kremlin has welcomed the Trump plan, but there were no plans for Russian officials to join today's talks, according to the US official.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has meanwhile said the blueprint could "lay the foundation" for a final peace settlement, but threatened more land seizures if Ukraine walked away from negotiations.
Ahead of today's talks, Washington insisted the Trump proposal was official US policy, denying claims by a group of US senators that Mr Rubio told them the document was a Russian "wish list".
Mr Rubio himself insisted on social media yesterday that "the peace proposal was authored by the US".
"It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine."
Mr Zelensky said in an address to the nation on Friday that Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, adding that he would propose "alternatives" to Mr Trump's plan.
"The pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner," Mr Zelensky said, referring to a possible break with Washington.
Meanwhile, President Zelensky has said that Ukraine was grateful to the United States and to President Donald Trump for all US efforts aimed at helping Kyiv.
"Ukraine is thankful to the United States, to every American heart and particularly to President Trump for the help which, starting with Javelin (missiles), saves Ukrainian lives," Mr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram after Mr Trump said Ukraine's leaders had expressed "zero gratitude" for US assistance.
Mr Zelensky also expressed thanks to Europe and the G7 and G20 groupings of countries for their help, saying efforts to maintain this support were important.
"This is why we are working so carefully on every point, every step towards peace," he wrote.
"Everything has to be worked out correctly so that we can truly end this war and prevent war from happening again."
