A White House source told Reuters that the US expected a “positive statement” after talks with the Russian side in Riyadh. According to this source, some progress was made at the meeting and a joint statement could be issued in the near future. The agency’s Russian source added that the draft document has been sent to Moscow and Washington for agreement.
The talks in Saudi Arabia lasted 12 hours with three breaks, and the statement is scheduled to be published on Tuesday. On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will give details of the discussion, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova revealed.
On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Council of the Russian Committee on International Affairs and Sergey Beseda, advisor to the FSB director. On the US side, Michael Anton, the State Department’s director of political planning, Keith Kellogg, aides to the President’s special envoy on Ukraine, and representatives of Mike Waltz, the White House national security adviser, attended the meeting.
Grigory Karasin noted during his communication with journalists that the sides held a constructive dialogue on topical issues and were able to better understand each other’s positions.
The main issues of the talks
The Russian and US sides have many topics for discussion. The countries can expand mutually beneficial co-operation, but, of course, the main topic of the diplomats’ meeting was Ukraine and the end of hostilities.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce specified that the key topic of the meeting was the restoration of peaceful trade in the waters of the Black Sea. She said:
“The sides considered the possibility of expanding the ceasefire in the region as a step towards the complete end of hostilities. Our goal is the resumption of safe commercial navigation.”
At the same time, Bruce emphasised that any ceasefire agreement “involves compromises” and that discussion of contentious issues between Moscow and Kyiv is possible only after the conflict is de-escalated.
Top expectations
Grigory Karasin said the dialogue between Russia and the United States will continue. He also noted:
“We will continue to do this, involving both the international community, first of all the United Nations, and individual countries. The overall impression left is of such a constructive dialogue, which is needed and necessary. The Americans are also interested in it.”
According to Karasin, the meeting in Riyadh turned out to be rich and complicated, but at the same time useful for both Russia and the American side. He noted that the participants discussed many problems, although not all issues were resolved or agreed upon.
Nevertheless, he assessed the very fact that the talks were held positively, especially given the arrival of the new US administration and the experts who represented the country at the meeting.
Europe’s hopes and fears
Bloomberg reports that the US hopes to reach a truce in Ukraine by April 20, when Orthodox and Catholics celebrate Easter. However, due to serious disagreements between the parties to the conflict, the deadline may be postponed. Agency sources said that President Donald Trump understands that any agreement must be acceptable to Ukraine. At the same time, he does not intend to make significant concessions to Russia.
Conclusion of long-term peace agreements, according to the sources, will become possible only after a personal meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin. Until then, such an outcome is unlikely.
The ongoing talks in Riyadh between Russian and US delegations on the Black Sea initiative are making Bulgaria and Romania nervous, The Financial Times (FT) reports, citing officials from these countries.
Romania and Bulgaria fear any significant change in the status quo in the Black Sea as part of a broader possible agreement between Russia and the US, given that it would expand the area of operations of the Russian Navy.
The paper’s interlocutors said that all countries with access to the Black Sea are watching the negotiations in Riyadh with concern, and suggested that any agreement on the issue would benefit Moscow.
French newspaper L’Humanité wrote that Moscow and Washington are close to an agreement on the Black Sea, and by doing so, the US is seeking to expand a dialogue that previously only involved refraining from strikes on energy infrastructure.
Arab publication Asharq al-Awsat added that in the event of a ceasefire in the Black Sea on vessels belonging to the two states, there would be a “breakthrough” and the matter would move towards a comprehensive halt to hostilities.
The French newspaper Les Echos stated that the pace of negotiations is accelerating. However, the staff of this media outlet is sure that it is too early to draw any conclusions, as the topics of discussion are constantly changing and the goals of the parties differ.
Associated Press specified that the main stumbling block remains the issue of which targets should be excluded from the strike zone, as the sides remain divided.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian and US delegations in Riyadh began discussing on Tuesday a 30-day ceasefire in the Black Sea and strikes on energy infrastructure, Bloomberg reports, citing a knowledgeable source.
On March 11, representatives of the US and Ukraine met in Saudi Arabia. Kyiv expressed its readiness to accept the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Vladimir Putin supported this idea, but pointed out certain “nuances.” In particular, he drew attention to the presence of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region.
A week later, Trump and Putin had a second telephone conversation. According to the Kremlin, the Russian leader agreed with the proposal of the US side to temporarily abandon strikes on energy infrastructure facilities. After that, Putin gave the relevant instructions to the military command. The Russian Defence Ministry said that Russian drones heading towards Ukrainian energy facilities linked to the military-industrial complex were shot down. Kyiv also confirmed its support for the initiative.
However, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that despite the agreements reached, Ukraine continued to attack energy facilities, including the Sudzha gas metering station. In this regard, Russia reserves the right to retaliate, including symmetrical actions, the ministry added.
