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US and Russian negotiators have met in Saudi Arabia for talks that Washington hopes will ultimately bring an end to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, in which the warring parties are discussing a proposed maritime ceasefire and moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure.
The talks, which state newswire Tass said began behind closed doors in Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel on Monday, follow parallel US talks with a Ukrainian delegation on Sunday. The discussions are expected to focus on technical issues such as how to secure the nearly 1,000km frontline in Ukraine, including monitoring and enforcing a US-backed general 30-day ceasefire.
Ukraine has already agreed to US President Donald Trump’s proposal for the unconditional temporary ceasefire and said the talks on Sunday were “productive and focused”. But Putin, Russia’s president, has expressed scepticism about the idea of a 30-day ceasefire and set out several tough conditions for Moscow to end the fighting.
Sunday’s discussions in Riyadh between US and Ukrainian officials were described as “technical” rather than high-level.
Speaking to CBS on Sunday, Mike Waltz, the US national security adviser, said the talks would focus on a “maritime ceasefire so that both sides can move grain, fuel and start conducting trade again in the Black Sea”.
Talks would then move to the “line of control”, including details of peacekeeping and verification mechanisms to freeze the frontline, Waltz said. Future negotiations would focus on swapping “territory for permanent peace” and “what the Ukrainians tend to talk about — as security guarantees”.
