By 10:00 Am local time, Monday, delegations of Russia and the United States gathered at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh kicking off negotiations behind closed doors on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, Taarifa reliably reports.
The Russian delegation is led by Grigory Karasin, the head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, and Sergey Beseda, adviser to the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
The US delegation includes State Department’s Director of Policy Planning Michael Anton, as well as aides to Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg and national security advisor Mike Waltz.
The ongoing talks between Russia and US follow negotiations on Sunday between Ukrainian and US officials which have been described as “productive and focused.”
Talks between Ukrainian and US officials
According to Ukrainian defense minister Rustem Umerov, the talks between Ukraine and US were “productive and focused.”
“The discussion was productive and focused — we addressed key points including energy,” he said on social media, adding Ukraine was working to make its goal of a “just and lasting peace” a “reality.”
The talks on Sunday focused on proposals to safeguard energy facilities and critical infrastructure, Ukraine’s defense minister said, part of a diplomatic push by US President Donald Trump to end three years of war.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about the chances for ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
“I feel that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wants peace,” Witkoff told media on Sunday.
“I think that you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that, you’ll naturally gravitate into a full-on shooting ceasefire.”
Separately, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday the United States was talking through a range of confidence-building measures aimed at ending the war, including on the future of Ukrainian children taken into Russia.
Russia’s View on the Negotiations
The Kremlin on Sunday noted that the talks are just the beginning and warning of “difficult negotiations” and a long journey to peace.
The conflict in Ukraine may not just roll on a rappid resolution, “We are only at the beginning of this path,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov said there were many outstanding questions over how a potential ceasefire might be implemented.
Peskov said the “main” focus in its talks with the United States would be a possible resumption of a 2022 Black Sea grain deal that ensured safe navigation for Ukrainian farm exports via the Black Sea.
“On Monday, we mainly intend to discuss President Putin’s agreement to resume the so-called Black Sea initiative, and our negotiators will be ready to discuss the nuances around this problem,” Peskov said.
