A United States delegation led by real estate tycoon-turned-diplomat Steve Witkoff has begun a high-stakes meeting with Kremlin negotiators in Saudi Arabia, where the Trump administration is pushing for progress toward a ceasefire in separate talks with Russia and Ukraine.
The meeting comes one day after discussions between a US contingent – led by officials from the State Department, the National Security Council and members of Ukraine Special Envoy Keith Kellogg’s team – and Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, which were described by the latter as “productive and focused.”
At the top of the agenda of Monday’s talks will be “the issue of the Black Sea Initiative and all aspects related to its renewal,” including “navigation safety,” according to the Kremlin.
Earlier in the war, the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative enabled the safe export of Ukrainian grain through Black Sea waters. Russia withdrew from that agreement, which was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, in 2023, complaining that Russia faced obstacles exporting its own food.
Washington is eyeing a potential maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and hoping that some of the initial positivity in peace talks can be translated into a broader 30-day truce and longer-term negotiations. But a wide gulf in expectations exists between Russia, Ukraine and their US interlocutors.
As talks continue, so do the attacks on Ukraine, where Russian strikes have killed at least four civilians in the last 24 hours, according to regional officials on Monday morning, and injured at least 13 other people – including a pregnant woman.
Credit: cnn.com
