US seeks progress on Trump's ceasefire in Saudi Arabia

US seeks progress on Trump's ceasefire in Saudi Arabia

A United States delegation led by real estate tycoon and diplomat Steve Witkoff has begun a crucial meeting with Kremlin negotiators in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration is pushing for a ceasefire in separate talks with Russia and Ukraine.

Current developments in the talks

Russian news agency TASS reported on Monday morning that talks were ongoing, citing an unnamed source. This meeting came a day after talks between a US team led by President Donald Trump's Kyiv Ambassador Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The latter described the conversation as “productive and purposeful”.

Expectations and challenges

While many viewers in Washington and across Europe hope that an initial positive mood can be translated into a 30-day ceasefire and longer-term negotiations, there are significant differences in expectations between Russia, Ukraine and U.S. negotiators.

An attack by Russian drones claimed at least six lives in Ukraine over the weekend, including young families. Moscow accuses Ukraine of recently attacking gas and oil facilities in Kursk and Krasnodar, although Russia has offered to stop attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Composition of the Russian delegation

The Russian delegation at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Riyadh includes experienced diplomats such as Grigory Karasin and former intelligence chief Sergey Beseda. The latter is seen by many in Ukraine as a nationalist and an early supporter of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Trust deficit and rhetorical support

Confidence on the Ukrainian side was boosted by Witkoff's recent rhetorical support for many of President Vladimir Putin's maximalist positions were not strengthened before the talks. Speaking to podcast host Tucker Carlson on Sunday, Witkoff expressed sympathy for Russia's territorial ambitions in Ukraine, describing the four regions Russia wants to formally annex — Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk — as "Russian-speaking."

“There have been referendums in which the overwhelming majority of people have indicated that they want to live under Russian rule,” he said.

Referendums and the question of territorial control

Russia held referendums in the occupied territories of the four regions in September 2022. These elections were widely viewed as a farce and were heavily criticized by both the US and European allies at the time.

"The Russians de facto control these areas. The question is: Will the world recognize that these are Russian areas?" Witkoff asked Sunday. "Can (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky survive politically if he recognizes this? That is the central question in the conflict."

Expectations of a ceasefire

Moscow says a ceasefire will not be possible unless Kiev agrees not to use it to redeploy or reorganize its troops. In addition, Moscow has publicly expressed important demands, such as that Ukraine should never join NATO.

Putin's responsibility and the path to peace

In a speech on Sunday evening, Zelensky clearly placed the responsibility on Putin to end the war. “The person who started this war must also end it,” he said.

This story is in development and will be continually updated.