US and Ukraine Talks in Riyadh Conclude
Negotiations between the Ukrainian and US delegations in Riyadh have ended, according to a report by the Russian news agency RIA Nowosti. The Ukrainian delegation left the negotiation room in a hotel in the Saudi capital, with the deputy head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Pavlo Paliy, declining to comment on the meeting. The topic of the talks was the parameters for a ceasefire.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umeyov, a member of the delegation, reported the start of the talks at 16:40 Central European Time, suggesting that the consultations may have lasted less than an hour and a half. However, the Ukrainian TV channel Suspilny reported that the meeting was a pause and the talks will continue.
“We have started a meeting with the US team in Riyadh” wrote Umeyov on X. “The agenda includes proposals for the protection of energy infrastructure and critical infrastructure. Today, we are clarifying a range of complex technical questions – our delegation includes experts in the energy sector as well as military representatives from the navy and air force.”
There will not be a meeting of the Ukrainians with the Russian delegation in Riyadh. According to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the Russian-Ukrainian talks will take place through “indirect means” with US mediation. Russian representatives have already arrived in Riyadh and will speak with US intermediaries on Monday. The Russian delegation is led by Senator and former diplomat Grigory Karasin and FSB advisor Sergei Beseda. The advisor to the Russian President, Yuri Ushakov, stated that the topic of the talks will include the so-called Black Sea Initiative.
As Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri Peskov explained in an interview, the initiative is about a possible resumption of the so-called Grain Deal, which was in effect from July 22, 2022, to July 17, 2023. According to this, Russia guaranteed security for Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain shipments to poorer countries. The agreement was terminated by Russia, citing the non-compliance with contractual obligations by the Western side.
During the last meeting between the two presidents, Donald Trump proposed that the conflicting parties refrain from attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days. Vladimir Putin reacted positively to this initiative and immediately gave the Russian military a corresponding order.
While Russia claims to be holding back on attacks, Ukraine wants to join the agreement only after additional consultations with the US. A few days ago, Ukraine attacked an oil terminal in the Krasnodar region, which led to a massive fire that has been burning for four days and has not yet been extinguished. On the night of Friday, a gas compression station on the border with Ukraine in the Kursk region was also blown up. Russia accused Ukraine of massive violations of the partial ceasefire in both cases.