A recent meeting in the Saudi Arabian capital between Russia and the US yielded no significant outcomes, according to Grigori Karassin, head of the Committee on International Affairs in the Russian Federation Council. The senator, who represented Russia at the meeting, stated in an interview with Rossija-24 TV that the discussions focused on the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the resumption of Russian agricultural exports.
The two delegations held “quiet and constructive” talks, but they proved to be “not particularly productive” Karassin added. He also noted that it would be naive to expect a breakthrough at the first meeting.
The US counterparts accepted the questions raised by Russia regarding the implementation of the Black Sea initiative, Karassin said. Additionally, Moscow brought up the topic of lifting a range of sanctions and reconnecting a bank to the international payment system SWIFT.
According to the senator, it is theoretically possible to work with the current US delegation. The US representatives would listen, take in all the information and offer their own positions as a counterproposal. Karassin speculates that further meetings of this kind could take place, with his team being given new tasks.
The Russian and US delegations met in Riyadh on Monday. Prior to the meeting, both sides had mentioned the Black Sea navigation and the grain deal as the main points of discussion. The Russian conditions for halting hostilities in the Black Sea included the lifting of sanctions, which had been imposed by both the US and the EU. However, Brussels insisted that the sanctions would only be lifted after the end of hostilities and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.