US and Russian officials are holding talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at reaching a cease-fire deal in Ukraine.
The negotiations on March 24 came a day after separate talks between the US and Ukraine which Kyiv called "productive."
The US-Russia talks are expected to discuss details of a pause in long-range attacks by both Russia and Ukraine against energy facilities and civilian infrastructure as well as a halt on attacks in the Black Sea.
The US team is reportedly being led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Department official.
The Russian team is being represented by Grigory Karasin, head of the Russian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergei Beseda, adviser to the director of the Federal Security Service, according to Russian state media.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the negotiations between Moscow and Washington are focused on technical issues, including the security of commercial shipping in the region.
'Constructive And Meaningful Talks'
US officials did not immediately comment about the talks with Ukraine on March 23. But Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said the session had been "constructive and meaningful."
“The discussion was productive and focused -- we addressed key points including energy," Umerov said in a Facebook post.
“President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’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.”
The talks in Saudi Arabia marked a milestone in US-led efforts to bring about a cease-fire in the Ukraine war. Previously, there have been breaks of a day or more between different rounds of bilateral talks. Having everyone in the same place could speed things up.
However, even though Russian and Ukrainian negotiators will be in the same country as they hold talks with the US delegation, few people expect a major breakthrough.
Zelenskyy, speaking on March 23, said in televised remarks that "our team is working in a completely constructive manner.”
“The conversation is quite useful -- the work of the delegations is continuing."
"But no matter what we say to our partners today, we need to get [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to give a real order to stop the strikes. Whoever brought this war must take it back," Zelenskyy added.
Still, US officials voiced optimism ahead of the Saudi meetings.
"I think that you're going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress,” US envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News on March 22.
The view from Kyiv and Moscow has been more sober.
"The maximum result is a pause. But this is still unknown, because the negotiations could drag on for a month or two,” political analyst Serhiy Taran told RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service.
“I think the most that can be imagined is that, perhaps, some technical details about the cease-fire will be worked out. And they will then be taken back to Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington in the form of proposals,” he said.
In Russia, where RFE/RL has been declared an undesirable organization and is effectively banned, it was Peskov who doused cold water on any hopes of a quick deal.
"One shouldn't get one's hopes high. Very serious, thorough work is ahead. We will have to delve into the details," he said in an interview on state TV on March 23.
“We're only in the beginning of this road," he added.
Russian and Ukrainian diplomats were not planning to meet directly. Instead, they are expected to each meet separately with the US team, in what one US official said would be “shuttle diplomacy.”
Some observers say this could end up being a similar model to that used for Gaza cease-fire negotiations, which took months before a deal was clinched. That agreement, meanwhile, appears to have since collapsed.
US President Donald Trump has been the most persistently bullish on talks so far. But his hopes for quick progress have been repeatedly knocked back.
Firstly, a plan agreed with Ukraine for a 30-day general cease-fire was stonewalled by Putin. Instead, after a phone call with Putin, Trump said they’d agreed to a pause on attacks on infrastructure.
But the Kremlin narrowed the focus further, saying that the deal only concerned energy infrastructure -- which its forces subsequently attacked anyway. Ukraine hopes to clear this up in Saudi Arabia by bringing a list of what Russia must agree not to target.
There was similar confusion after Trump’s talks with Zelenskyy. While US officials were speaking of a new plan for US ownership of Ukrainian nuclear plants, as a form of security guarantee for Ukraine, Zelenskyy made it clear these plants were state property that belonged to all Ukrainians.
Meanwhile, a bilateral deal on Ukraine’s rare Earth minerals was again said to be nearly ready. But there is still no clarity on when the document – itself apparently dealing more in aspiration than detail – will be signed.
Going into the talks in Saudi Arabia, there is another focus.
Witkoff, the US envoy, said there would be progress on “a Black Sea cease-fire, on ships between both countries. And from that, you'll naturally gravitate into a full-on shooting cease-fire."
Witkoff also said he was confident that Putin wanted peace, something that Ukraine and European countries do not believe.
As the faltering diplomatic process has edged forward, both Ukraine and Russia reported shooting down a barrage of drones from the opposition side on March 24.
Kyiv said that Russia launched 99 drones at Ukraine overnight, of which 57 were shot down by Ukraine’s air defense systems and 36 were lost from radar.
The remaining drones caused damage in at least five regions of Ukraine, authorities said. At least four people were wounded as the drones struck residential buildings in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhya regions, local authorities said.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on March 24 that Russia downed 227 Ukrainian drones overnight.
By RFE/RL
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
- United States Challenges China’s Mineral Dominance
- Elliott Wants More Buybacks From Germany’s RWE After Buying 5% Stake
- British Oil Sector Hinges on Shell's Future
