Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Monday that negotiations with U.S. representatives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were “productive and focused” and covered “key points including energy.”
“President Volodymyr Zelensky’s goal is to secure a just and lasting peace for our country and our people — and, by extension, for all of Europe. We are working to make that goal a reality,” he said.
Umerov said when the meetings began on Sunday that the agenda included “complex technical issues” related to “energy facilities and critical infrastructure.”
Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle last week to stop attacking each others’ civilian energy infrastructure, but the details of such a partial ceasefire have not been worked out. Each side says the other has attacked energy facilities in recent days.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia is considering the restoration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement from 2022 to 2023 that allowed Ukraine to ship grain through Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea for humanitarian purposes.
Russia exited the deal in July 2023 because it felt Western powers did not adequately reciprocate by allowing Russian agricultural exports. Critics of Russia’s decision said these complaints were merely a pretext for ending the deal, and Moscow’s real problem was that Ukraine made too much money from shipping its grain.
American and Russian negotiators met in Riyadh on Monday to discuss a new Black Sea ceasefire, possibly including the revival of the grain initiative. Russian officials said they wanted assurances that reciprocal commitments to Moscow would be met this time.
“I think you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that you’ll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire,” Trump administration envoy Steve Witkoff predicted on Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address to his people on Sunday night that the talks in Riyadh were “quite useful,” but ultimately Russian President Vladimir Putin must be the one who suspends or ends hostilities.
“No matter what we say to our partners today, we need to get Putin to give a real order to stop the strikes. Whoever brought this war must take it back,” Zelensky said.
White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday that U.S. representatives are working separately with the Ukrainian and Russian delegations to establish a “line of control” in the conflict zone, with “verification measures, peacekeeping,” and “freezing the lines where they are.”
Waltz suggested the two sides could offer “confidence-building measures” to clear the path for a ceasefire, such as Russia returning the Ukrainian children it has abducted.
Russia launched intense missile strikes on multiple Ukrainian cities on Sunday night, including a strike on the city of Sumy that reportedly killed at least 70 people.
“Moscow speaks of peace while carrying out brutal strikes on densely populated residential areas in major Ukrainian cities,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday.
“Instead of making hollow statements about peace, Russia must stop bombing our cities and end its war on civilians,” Sybiha said.
“Any diplomacy with Moscow must be backed up by firepower, sanctions, and pressure,” he urged.
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