The Albany Gazette - US, Russia in Saudi talks on Ukraine ceasefire plan

The US and Russian teams huddled behind closed doors at a luxurious hotel in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, with a possible revival of a 2022 Black Sea ceasefire on the table.

The Ukrainian team, which held talks with US officials in the same venue on Sunday, waited nearby in case of progress, an official told AFP.

"There may be a new meeting" between the Ukraine and US delegations on Monday, "but it depends on the outcome of the talks between the Americans and the Russians," the senior Ukrainian official said.

"The Ukrainian delegation is waiting there for now."

Trump is pressing for a rapid end to the three-year war and hopes the latest round of talks in Riyadh could pave the way for a breakthrough.

Earlier this month in Jeddah -- days after President Volodymyr Zelensky's White House dressing-down by Trump -- Ukraine agreed to a US-proposed, 30-day ceasefire that was then rejected by the Russians.

Officials are now studying a possible resumption of the Black Sea Initiative, a year-long agreement that allowed millions of tonnes of grain and other food exports to be shipped from Ukraine's ports.

"The issue of the Black Sea Initiative and all aspects related to the renewal of this initiative is on the agenda today," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in his daily briefing.

"This was President Trump's proposal and President Putin agreed to it. It was with this mandate that our delegation travelled to Riyadh."

The two sets of talks were originally planned to take place simultaneously to enable shuttle diplomacy, with the United States going back and forth between the delegations.

Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian team, said the talks that finished late on Sunday were "productive and focused".

"We addressed key points including energy," Umerov said on social media.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff has 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 has downplayed expectations of a rapid resolution.

"We are only at the beginning of this path," Peskov told Russian state TV on Sunday, adding: "There are difficult negotiations ahead."

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

Moscow pulled out of the Black Sea Initiative -- 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.

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.

(C.Young--TAG)