Russian and American leaders met on Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Washington and Moscow are now processing the outcome of the meeting, a report from the Kremlin stated on Tuesday. The agenda of the meeting is not disclosed, however.
Make a Plausible Ceasefire in Sea Lanes a Priority
Washington and Moscow both reported that the negotiations primarily focused on a possible ceasefire in shipping channels between Russia and Ukraine. US officials had independent talks with Ukrainian officials on Tuesday. There has been a breakthrough in the Riyadh talks, a White House source said, and an announcement will be made soon.
Issues of U.S.-Russia Talks
The U.S. asserted that Monday’s negotiations were a follow-up of President Donald Trump’s attempt to stop the war. But Ukraine and its allies in Europe fear that Trump could find common ground with Russian President Vladimir Putin and give Russia its desire, possibly at the cost of Europe.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow and Washington were negotiating whether there could be any future accord on the security of ships in the Black Sea and other issues. “We are speaking about technicalities, and they will be discussed in detail,” Peskov told journalists. But he maintained that there was no discussion of a three-way summit between Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine. Although the delegations of the three countries shared the same hotel in Riyadh, each of them received the American delegation separately. This method of diplomacy was called by the Washington administration “shuttle diplomacy.” Peskov added that there are no plans currently for any further meeting between Trump and Putin but that one may be arranged if needed.
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Putin and Trump’s Latest Call
Trump and Putin had a phone call last week, during which Putin rejected an invitation to a 30-day ceasefire. He did, however, accept to an agreement whereby Ukraine and Russia would not attack each other’s energy infrastructure. Ukraine responded by saying it was ready to subscribe to a ceasefire agreement on officially registered energy infrastructure.
Ongoing Hostilities Amidst Negotiations
Despite the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, the two countries have continued fighting. The Ukrainian air force stated that Russia launched drone and missile attacks on Poltava and Kyiv on Monday night. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiga criticized Russia, saying, “Instead of issuing hollow calls for peace, Russia must stop shelling civilians.” Meanwhile, Russia blamed Ukrainian soldiers for shelling two Russian journalists. The journalists and their driver were killed in the shelling in eastern Ukraine, Moscow claimed. Kyiv has remained silent on the attack. Trump continued on Monday that talks focused on a number of key issues relating to the conclusion of the war. “We are now discussing territorial partition, lines of control, and ownership of power plants,” he continued.
Major Focus on Black Sea Maritime Convention
The White House, being the major goal of the Saudi Arabian negotiations, views the signing of an agreement on Black Sea maritime routes for the unrestricted transit of ships.
Russia Asks to Engage the U.N. in Talks
A Russian envoy stated Moscow would prefer to involve other countries and the United Nations in ceasefire negotiations with the U.S. Following a 12-hour Russian-American session in Saudi Arabia, Grigory Karasin told TASS news agency, “We will proceed with the negotiations by involving the international community, primarily the U.N. and certain other states.”
Karasin stated that despite the challenges, the Russia-U.S. negotiations were successful. He added that additional negotiations, including the U.N. and other countries, are on the table but would not reveal the names of the countries that would be included. He further added, “A wide range of questions was taken into account. The negotiations were fruitful, and the U.S. would also like to pursue them further.” Moscow and Washington are likely to release a joint statement on the same.
