The US and Russian delegations met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 24. The meeting was organized after the US-Ukrainian talks on March 23 and focused mainly on the details of a temporary ceasefire involving long-range strikes and the Black Sea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the US-Ukrainian talks on March 23 were more technical in nature, News.bg reports.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that proposals for ensuring the safety of energy and infrastructure facilities were discussed during these talks, emphasizing the productivity and purposefulness of the discussions.
A source told the Ukrainian publication Suspilne that the Russian-American meeting on March 24 will consider the ceasefire agreements agreed by Ukraine on March 23. Adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, Serhiy Leshchenko, specified that the US-Ukrainian talks concern an agreement on a ceasefire in the seas and rivers, as well as against attacks on Ukrainian ports in Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odessa regions.
The US delegation includes senior diplomats such as Michael Anton, Keith Kellogg and Mike Waltz, while the Russian delegation is led by Grigory Karasin and Colonel General Sergei Beseda. The Saudi publication Al Arabiya reports that Andrew Peake of the US National Security Council is also part of the American team.
TASS reports that the bilateral talks will conclude with a joint statement on March 25, with ISW publishing more details in the coming days.
On the front in Ukraine, Ukrainian forces continue to advance, recently noting successes in Demidovka, near the border with Belgorod region in Russia. Russian bloggers, however, denied that Ukrainian troops had taken the village.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has continued to make statements aimed at undermining international support for Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Ukraine is part of the Kremlin's efforts to justify its demand for the "denazification" of the country as part of the conditions for ending the war.
While the negotiations continue, Russia remains critical of the possibility of a peaceful solution and continues to set conditions for the ongoing war. However, some Russian officials have stressed that bilateral relations with the United States take priority over resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
At the same time, Russia has continued its repression of religious minorities in the occupied regions of Ukraine, including the forcible consecration of Ukrainian churches by the Russian Orthodox Church and the persecution of Protestants and Baptists.