US and Russian officials have begun talks in Saudi Arabia as Donald Trump seeks to broker a limited ceasefire that he hopes will be the first step toward lasting peace in Ukraine.
Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for a month after Trump met with the countries’ leaders last week. But it remains unclear how and when the partial ceasefire would go into effect and whether its scope would extend beyond energy infrastructure to include other critical areas such as hospitals, bridges and vital utilities.
U.S. officials held their first talks with Ukraine on Sunday evening and met separately with Russia on Monday, with most of the meetings taking place at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh.
The United States is expected to shuttle between the two countries to finalize details and negotiate separate measures to ensure shipping safety in the Black Sea.
“The ultimate goal is a 30-day ceasefire, during which time we are discussing a permanent ceasefire. We are not far off from that,” US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on a podcast with far-right journalist Tucker Carlson over the weekend.
