The third round of meetings between US, Russian and Ukrainian officials have kicked off in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
On Monday, the US and Russian officials began a new round of talks in Riyadh, after a separate meeting between American and Ukrainian delegations on Sunday. The negotiations aim to reach a ceasefire agreement to end the crisis in Ukraine.
These talks follow a high-level meeting between American and Russian diplomats in Riyadh on February 18, 2025 and talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah on March 11, 2025, held upon the directives of the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman.
US-Russia Talks
The Russian news agency TASS reported that talks have started between US and Russia representatives in Saudi Arabia. The discussions aim to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Grigory Karasin, and the adviser to the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Sergey Beseda, are leading the Russian delegation.
Meanwhile, the US delegation is led by State Department’s Policy Planning Director, Michael Anton, the US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, and National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz.
According to the White House, this round of negotiations is aimed at reaching a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea to ensure safe commercial shipping, in what could be a step toward reaching a full ceasefire agreement.
The Kremlin aide, Yury Ushakov, said that the talks will also discuss the resumption of the Black Sea grain initiative, based on agreements reached during a telephone conversation between the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.
US-Ukraine Talks
On Sunday, separate talks took place between American and Ukrainian officials in Riyadh. According to Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, the discussions were “productive and focused.”
On a post on X, Umerov said that the talks “addressed key points including energy.” He emphasized that his country’s goal is to “secure a just and lasting peace.”
Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation, alongside State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Oleksandr Karasevych, deputy heads of the President’s Office, Pavlo Palisa and Ihor Zhovkva, as well as Deputy Energy Minister, Mykola Kolisnyk, reported Ukrinform news agency.
Commenting on the Sunday talks, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the discussions were “very productive.”
Interim Ceasefire
The meetings in Riyadh come on the heels of talks between US and Ukrainian delegations in Jeddah on March 11, 2025, where they agreed on “an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire” and a resumption of US intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine.
However, Moscow rejected the US-proposed 30-day full ceasefire, agreeing instead to halt strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities for 30 days, after a call between the US President, Donald Trump, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
The US and Ukrainian delegations are expected to meet again after the conclusion of the US-Russia meetings in Riyadh, according to TASS.
US Optimism
The US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism over the ongoing negotiations in Saudi Arabia. He told Fox News on Sunday that he believed Putin wants to end the conflict in Ukraine. “I feel that he wants peace,” Witkoff said.
“I think that 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 into a full-on shooting ceasefire,” he added.
Moreover, Witkoff on Wednesday said that a Trump-Putin meeting is likely to take place in the coming weeks in Saudi Arabia.
During an interview with Bloomberg, Witkoff said the meeting between both leaders is “likely to happen” and a full ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine can be reached in a couple of weeks.
