The Albany Gazette - US-Russia talks on Ukraine begin in Saudi Arabia

US President Donald Trump is pushing for a rapid end to the three-year war and hopes talks in Riyadh could pave the way for a breakthrough.

Both sides have proposed different plans for temporary ceasefires, but cross-border attacks have meanwhile continued unabated.

Originally planned to take place simultaneously to enable shuttle diplomacy -- with the United States going back and forth between the delegations -- the talks are now taking place one after the other.

Russia's TASS news agency said at around 0730 GMT that the US-Russian talks had begun.

The meeting between the Ukrainian team, led by defence minister Rustem Umerov, and the Americans finished up late Sunday night.

"The discussion was productive and focused -- we addressed key points including energy," Umerov said on social media, adding Ukraine was working to make its goal of a "just and lasting peace" a reality.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff voiced optimism that any agreement struck would pave the way for a "full-on" ceasefire.

"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," he told Fox News.

- 'Only at the beginning' -

But the Kremlin on Sunday downplayed expectations of a rapid resolution.

"We are only at the beginning of this path," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.

He said there were many outstanding questions over how a potential ceasefire might be implemented.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian call for a full and immediate 30-day pause, proposing instead a halt in attacks only on energy facilities.

"There are difficult negotiations ahead," Peskov said in the interview, published on social media.

Peskov said the "main" focus in its talks with the United States would be a possible resumption of a 2022 Black Sea grain deal that ensured safe navigation for Ukrainian farm exports via the Black Sea.

"On Monday, we mainly intend to discuss President Putin's agreement to resume the so-called Black Sea initiative, and our negotiators will be ready to discuss the nuances around this problem," Peskov said.

Moscow pulled out of the deal -- brokered by Turkey and the United Nations -- in 2023, accusing the West of failing to uphold its commitments to ease sanctions on Russia's own exports of farm produce and fertilisers.

A senior Ukrainian official previously told AFP that Kyiv would propose a broader ceasefire, covering attacks on energy facilities, infrastructure and naval strikes.

Both sides launched fresh drone attacks on the eve of the negotiations.

- Deadly attack on Kyiv -

Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack overnight Saturday killed three civilians in Kyiv, including a five-year-old girl and her father.

AFP reporters in the capital saw emergency workers treating the wounded early Sunday in front of damaged residential buildings hit in the strike.

Deadly strikes on the well-protected city are rarer than elsewhere in the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his country's allies to put fresh pressure on Russia.

"New decisions and new pressure on Moscow are needed to bring an end to these strikes and this war," he posted on social media on Sunday.

Moscow heads into the Saudi talks after a rapprochement with Washington under Trump that has boosted confidence in the Kremlin.

Peskov said Sunday that the "potential for mutually beneficial cooperation in a wide variety of spheres between our countries cannot be overstated".

"We may disagree on some things but that does not mean we should deprive ourselves of mutual benefit," he added.

(A.Thompson--TAG)