Another round of negotiations between the United States and the Russian Federation began in Saudi Arabia
On March 24, another round of negotiations between representatives of the USA and Russia began in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). The day before, on March 23, the American delegation held consultations with the Ukrainian side in the same city, informs Reuters.
According to the results of the meetings in Riyadh, the US delegation intends to reach an agreement with the representatives of Ukraine and Russia regarding the cessation of hostilities in the Black Sea in order to guarantee safe navigation.
In addition, the issue of the “line of control” between the two countries is expected to be discussed. It’s about control measures, peacekeeping, freezing lines where they exist. On the agenda are “confidence-building measures”, including the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia.
The American side at the negotiations is represented by the senior director of the National Security Council of the White House, Andrew Peek, and a high-ranking official of the US State Department, Michael Anton.
The Russian delegation is headed by the head of the Committee of the Federation Council on International Affairs Hryhoriy Karasin, who previously worked for many years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Another participant is General Serhii Beseda, the former head of the 5th service of the FSB, responsible for operational information and international affairs. Currently, he is an adviser to the head of the FSB.
These negotiations were a continuation of yesterday’s consultations between the USA and Ukraine, which lasted about five hours. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umyerov, who participated in the meeting, said that “the conversation was constructive and meaningful.” According to him, the parties discussed a number of technical issues, including proposals for the protection of energy facilities and critical infrastructure.
Earlier, the special envoy of the US president in Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, noted that as part of the negotiations in Riyadh, the American delegation plans to communicate separately with the representatives of Ukraine and Russia, applying the principle of “shuttle diplomacy”. At the same time, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Heorhiy Tykhy, emphasized that direct contacts between Ukraine and the Russian Federation are not foreseen.
