France's President Emmanuel Macron, from second left, speaks with President Donald Trump as Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House

Rubio defended the tone and tenor of his boss during Friday's White House clash with Zelensky before he was asked about the leadership in Moscow.

Top Trump administration officials left the door open Tuesday to Russia permanently retaining control of some captured Ukrainian territory, as representatives from Washington and Moscow ended their historic meeting in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh with seemingly all options on the table and a promise to continue talks aimed at ending the conflict.