US-Russia Talks On Ukraine Begin In Saudi Arabia

https://www.channelstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Russia-invasion-of-Ukraine__TopshotUkraineRussiaConflictWarArt.jpg

A day after delegations from Washington and Kyiv held their own discussions, US and Russian officials on a partial ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict on Monday held discussions in Saudi Arabia.

Donald Trump, the president of the US, wants a quick resolution to the three-year conflict and believes talks in Riyadh could pave the way for a resolution.

Although both sides have come up with different strategies for temporary ceasefires, attacks across borders have continued unabated.

The talks are now taking place one after the other, which was originally intended to take place simultaneously so that shuttle diplomacy could be conducted between the US and the delegations.

Read more about the South Korean Court’s Re-establishment of former prime minister Han as acting president.

The US-Russian discussions had already begun, according to Russia’s TASS news agency, which was based in Moscow at around 7:30 GMT.

Late on Sunday night, the Ukrainian team, led by defense minister Rustem Umerov, and the Americans met for dinner.

According to Umerov, “the discussion was productive and focused, and we covered important topics, including energy,” while adding that Ukraine was working to realize its aspiration of a “just and lasting peace.”

In Kharkiv on March 7, 2025, as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Valentyna Guk searches for mosaic fragments among the debris of a severely damaged building. Ivan SAMOILOV / AFP photo

Steve Witkoff, the Trump envoy, expressed hope that a “full-on” ceasefire would be reached if an agreement was reached.

“I believe you will witness some real progress in Saudi Arabia on Monday, particularly given how the ceasefire will affect ships in the Black Sea. And naturally you’ll gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire from there,” he told Fox News.

‘Only at the beginning’ –

However, the Kremlin downplayed the possibility of a quick resolution on Sunday.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, told Russian state TV, “We are only at the beginning of this path.”

He claimed that there were still many open questions regarding the implementation of a potential ceasefire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian request for a 30-day ceasefire and has instead suggested a stop to attacks only on energy facilities.

In the interview that was made available on social media, Peskov stated that “discouraging negotiations are in order.”

A local resident walks among the debris on March 7, 2025, one day after Russians attacked a suburb of Odesa, southern Ukraine, as part of their invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Oleksandr GIMANOV/AFP)

The “main” topic of Peskov’s discussions with the United States would likely be a potential resumption of a 2022 Black Sea grain agreement, which assured safe passage for Ukrainian farm exports via the Black Sea, according to Peskov.

Our negotiators will be ready to discuss the specifics of this issue, according to Peskov, adding that “we primarily intend to discuss President Putin’s agreement to resume the so-called Black Sea initiative on Monday.”

Moscow criticized the West for abusing its commitments to easing sanctions on Russia’s own exports of farm produce and fertilizers and pulled out of the deal in 2023, which was brokered by Turkey and the UN.

A senior Ukrainian official previously told AFP that Kyiv would call for a more comprehensive ceasefire to cover attacks on energy facilities, infrastructure, and naval strikes.

On the eve of the negotiations, both parties launched additional drone attacks.

– A fatal attack on Kyiv

A five-year-old girl and her father were among the three civilians killed in a Kiev drone attack that occurred overnight, according to Ukrainian officials.

In front of the damaged residential buildings that the strike had affected, AFP reporters in the capital witnessed emergency workers treating the injured early on Sunday.

More frequently than anywhere else in the nation, deadly strikes on a well-protected city occur.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, pleaded with Russia’s allies to put new pressure on them.

He said on Sunday on social media that “new decisions and new pressure on Moscow are needed to put an end to these strikes and this war.”

Following a resumption of its relations with Washington under Trump, which has boosted Russian confidence in the Kremlin, Moscow now enters the Saudi negotiations.

Peskov argued on Sunday that “the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries cannot be overstated.”

He continued, “We may disagree on some issues, but that does not mean we shouldn’t benefit one another.”