Talks between US and Russian officials on a possible peace deal in Ukraine are being held in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, reported news agency AFP, quoting Russian news agency TASS.
The US-mediated indirect talks between Russia and Ukraine come a day after Moscow launched a barrage of drones across Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight Sunday that killed at least seven people.
Last night, the US negotiators met the Ukrainian delegation - led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov - behind closed doors.
In an X post, Umerov described the talks as "productive" and said that they addressed key points including energy and were working to make Zelensky's goal of securing "a just and lasting peace" a reality.
We have concluded our meeting with the American team.The discussion was productive and focused we addressed key points including energy.President Volodymyr Zelenskyys goal is to secure a just and lasting peace for our country and our people and, by extension, for all ofRustem Umerov (@rustem_umerov) March 23, 2025
As per news agency Reuters, the US delegation is seeking progress toward a Black Sea ceasefire and a broader cessation of violence in the war in Ukraine, in its talks with Russian officials.
The so-called technical talks come as U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies his drive for a halt to Russia's three-year-old assault against Ukraine. Last week, he spoke with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin, on the other hand, has downplayed expectations of a rapid resolution. “We are only at the beginning of this path,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.
Last Tuesday, Putin agreed to Trump's proposal for Russia and Ukraine to stop attacks on each other's energy infrastructure for 30 days and ordered the Russian military to cease them.
The agreement fell short, however, of a wider agreement that the U.S. had sought, and which Kyiv backed, for a blanket 30-day truce in the war.
Trump said on Saturday that efforts to stop further escalation in the Ukraine-Russia conflict were "somewhat under control".
The U.S. hopes to reach a broad ceasefire within weeks, targeting a truce agreement by April 20, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the planning.
Despite all the diplomatic activity, Russia and Ukraine have both reported continued strikes, while Russian forces have also continued to advance slowly in eastern Ukraine, a region Moscow claims to have annexed.
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