In a significant diplomatic initiative, a US delegation is meeting Russian officials on Monday for a ceasefire in the Black Sea and extensive measures for ending the ongoing war in Ukraine, as per a report by Reuters. The meetings have been arranged prior to discussions with Ukrainian diplomats on Sunday and indicating a change in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
Talks in Riyadh
‘’These are technical talks, but the objective is real progress toward ending the violence, said a source familiar with the issue to Reuters. Andrew Peek of the White House National Security Council and Michael Anton from the State Department are heading the American Department.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told CBS’ Face the Nation that all three delegations-US-Ukrainian and Russian have gathered in Riyadh. He explained crucial topics like, ‘’The line of control, peacekeeping, freezing the lines where they are, and verification measures.’’ Waltz also stated that ‘’confidence-building measures’’ like the return of the Ukrainian children taken to Russia were also included in the discussion.
Conditional support from Russia
On the Russian side, Grigory Karasin and Sergie Beseda are representing Moscow which has expressed limited agreement on the US proposed peace deal. President Vladimir Putin has recently advocated a 30-day halt on attacks targeting energy infrastructure. Although he highlighted that Russian forces would continue to fight till the ‘’crucial conditions are met.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi mentioned that talks with the US are meant to ‘’clarify the modalities…of possible different ceasefire regimes,’’ as quoted by Reuters.
US envoy Steve Witkoff who had a meeting with Putin in March, downplayed NATO concerns, stating, ‘’I just don’t see that he wants to take all of Europe…I feel that he wants peace.’’
Ceasefire to take place by April?
Despite the ongoing strikes and Russian gains in eastern Ukraine, the US goal is to break a broader truce deal by April 20, as per Bloomberg. President Trump said on Saturday the situation is ‘’somewhat under control,’’ though European allies remain cautious of his direct engagement with Putin.
(With inputs from Reuters)