Russian negotiators have expressed satisfaction following talks with U.S. representatives in Saudi Arabia, marking the first steps toward ending the war in Ukraine.
“Overall, the impression of a constructive dialogue that is necessary and needed remains,” said Russian negotiator Grigory Karasin, as reported by Russian state news agency TASS on Tuesday.
The discussions, held in Riyadh on Monday, will continue with the involvement of other states and the United Nations.
However, Karasin did not provide further details on the outcome of the talks.
A joint statement from the White House and the Kremlin was expected after their teams negotiated for over 12 hours the previous day.
The closed-door meeting at the Ritz Carlton hotel focused on securing a ceasefire as the first step to end more than three years of fighting in Ukraine.
The Russian delegation, led by Karasin, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian Federation Council, included Sergey Beseda, a senior intelligence official and close confidant of President Vladimir Putin.
While Ukraine has endorsed a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin has set several preconditions, including halting Western military aid to Kiev.
Negotiations focused on smaller steps, such as a potential ceasefire in the Black Sea to protect shipping routes and a commitment to refrain from striking energy infrastructure.
Both Russia and Ukraine have already agreed in principle to a truce on attacks on energy facilities, though it has yet to be implemented.
U.S. representatives held initial talks with a Ukrainian negotiating team on Sunday, which Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov described as “constructive and informative.”
(dpa/NAN)
