The negotiations in Saudi Arabia will focus on maritime security in the Black Sea
Senior Russian and US officials have started talks on a settlement of the Ukraine conflict in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, several media outlets have reported. The negotiations are expected to focus on maritime security in the Black Sea and a potential ceasefire.
The Russian delegation includes Grigory Karasin, the chair of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergey Beseda, an adviser to the director of the Federal Security Service. According to Reuters, the US side is led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Department official.
TASS reported that the closed-door talks kicked off on Monday morning in the Ritz-Carlton hotel, adding that the Saudi security services had asked reporters to vacate the premises. Ruptly video agency also published a short clip of a group of Russian and Saudi officials walking inside the hotel.
Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East and a key figure in the settlement process, suggested that the talks would lead to “some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that you’ll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that the talks are likely to be difficult, pointing to a host of issues surrounding the resumption of the 2022 Black Sea grain deal, which allowed Ukraine to safely export agricultural products via the Black Sea. Russia pulled out of the deal in 2023, citing the West’s failure to ease sanctions hindering its agricultural exports.
The talks also follow US-Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the delegations discussed “proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure.”
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