Negotiations for peace in Ukraine are in full swing. Ukrainian and U.S. delegations met in the neutral territory of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first round of talks. They will then also be joined by Russian representatives after President Vladimir Putin rejected an initial 30-day ceasefire proposal.
“A productive and focused discussion” took place that lasted about five hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry Rustem Umerov commented on X. “We addressed key points including energy. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s goal is to ensure a just and lasting peace for our country and our people, and, by extension, for all of Europe. We are working to make that goal a reality.” No other details were leaked.
According to Ukrinform, in addition to Umerov, Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Karasevych, the Ukrainian delegation also includes Deputy Heads of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa and Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk, and other military representatives from the naval and air defense sectors.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky urged more pressure, on his Russian counterpart in particular. “We must push Putin to give a real order to stop the attacks.”
Moscow’s leader rejected Washington and Kyiv’s joint offer, reviving only the suspension of air strikes against energy facilities. This week, both sides continued undaunted with more aggression. “Since March 11 there has been a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, and such attacks would have ceased by now. But it is Russia that continues with all this. Without pressure, they will continue in Moscow to despise real diplomacy and destroy lives,” Zelensky said.
In this negotiating session, the Americans are led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who, with Donald Trump’s support, is optimistic that the conflict can be ended. The two have soundly rejected the efforts put forth by Britain and France to strengthen Ukrainian defenses and propose a peace plan signed by Europe.
For its part, the Kremlin downplayed the U.S. plan to resolve the conflict promptly. “We are only at the beginning,” said spokesman Dmitry Pskov.
