Negotiations continue in Riyadh to reach an agreement on the ceasefire in Ukraine. Today the Russian delegation met with the US delegation, in talks initially described by the Kremlin as "difficult". In addition, after yesterday's round, a new meeting between Ukrainian and US delegations is planned, once the "results of the meeting between the United States and Russia" are known .
According to Russian sources, the agenda included a possible agreement to ensure safe navigation for commercial ships in the Black Sea. But, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskos said, no documents are expected to be signed at the end and the joint declaration has also been postponed. Speaking from his Oval Office at the White House, US President Donald Trump confirmed that territories are also being discussed. "We are talking about demarcation lines, we are talking about energy, ownership of power plants. Some say that the United States should own the nuclear power plant (in Zaporizhzhia) because we have the skills to operate it."
In the morning, Russians and Americans met behind closed doors in a luxury hotel in the Saudi capital, after the talks that had taken place the night before between Ukrainians and Americans. On the table, a possible ceasefire in the Black Sea, to allow a return to the grain agreement that allowed Ukraine, from July 2022 to July 2023, to export its wheat, vital for world food supplies, despite the presence of the Russian fleet in the area. Russia subsequently withdrew from the agreement, accusing the West of not respecting its commitments to ease sanctions on Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilizers.
This grain deal and “all aspects of its implementation are on the agenda today,” Peskov confirmed. It is “a proposal from President Trump, and President Putin accepted it. It was with this mandate that our delegation went to Riyadh,” he added, without mentioning any possible commitments to suspending fighting.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, described the previous evening's meeting as "productive and focused." "We discussed key issues, including energy," he said, adding that Ukraine was working toward its goal of a "just and lasting peace."
