US, Russia hold talks to discuss ceasefire in Black Sea – Reuters
supplemented
A U.S. delegation, led by White House National Security Council Senior Director Andrew Peek and senior State Department official Michael Anton, kicked off closed-door negotiations with Russian counterparts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at 7:00 a.m. GMT on March 24, according to Al Arabiya.
The Russian team includes Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee, and Sergei Beseda, an advisor to the FSB Federal Security Service director. The talks follow a U.S.-Ukraine meeting in the same city on March 23, where Ukraine’s constructive stance was noted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Reuters, citing an informed source, said the U.S. aims to advance a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, a goal echoed by the White House, which seeks to restore unobstructed maritime navigation.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CBS on March 23 that U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian delegations were convened in one building in Riyadh.
Beyond the maritime truce, discussions will cover "the line of control"—freezing the front where Ukrainian and Russian forces stand—and "confidence-building measures," including the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
Zelenskyy, in a March 23 video address, called the U.S.-Ukraine talks "quite useful," emphasizing Ukraine’s constructive role.
Bloomberg reported that the U.S. hopes to broker a broader ceasefire in Ukraine by Easter, a target set a month prior.
