From a Russia-America meeting in Saudi Arabia to a plane crash in Arizona: Stories you may have missed

Russian and American officials meet in Saudi Arabia

In a diplomatic meeting held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, U.S. and Russian officials met to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and strengthening diplomatic ties on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

This is the largest exchange the countries have had since the war began nearly three years ago, according to the Associated Press. The two countries agreed to work towards improving their relations with the United States, agreeing to restore staffing at their embassies in Washington and Moscow.

PBS reports that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was present at the meeting, along with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Other officials from both countries also attended.

Notably absent from the meeting was any representative from the country of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would not accept an outcome reached by the Americans and the Russians without a Ukrainian presence, according to CBS News.

The meeting also hints at a later meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters, with Trump stating that a meeting could take place sometime this month.

Plane crash in Arizona leaves two people dead

After a series of airline disasters in the past month, another incident took place at an Arizona airport on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

Two people are dead after a pair of small aircraft collided midair near the Marana Regional Airport around 8:28 a.m., according to CNN. The airport, near Tucson, Arizona, has since been closed as an investigation is underway.

While there are two reported fatalities, there were two other people on board each of the planes, both of which were uninjured, according to CBS News.

The Associated Press reports that there have been four major airline incidents in the past month.

On Monday, Feb. 17, a passenger plane in Toronto flipped on its roof, injuring 17 people with no fatalities. A commuter plane in Alaska crashed on Feb. 6, killing everyone aboard. An air ambulance in Philadelphia crashed onto a busy street in the city on Jan. 31, killing seven people and injuring 19 others. Finally, in the deadliest airline disaster since 2001, a passenger plane collided with an Army helicopter in Washington D.C. on Jan. 29, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.

Questions have been raised about the safety of aviation following these incidents. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, in an interview with CBS News, insists that air travel is still safe.

“If you get in a plane, if you look at how many people fly, how many flights we have, of course, it’s a safe space,” Duffy said.