“Difficult” Russia, Ukraine ceasefire talks continue in Riyadh

Ukraine and US delegations held their second round of talks in Riyadh yesterday, amid heightened tensions following Russia’s attacks on Kyiv. The talks were held at a technical level with military, diplomatic, and energy officials, and could extend to today depending on progress, The NYT reported, citing Ukrainian sources familiar with the matter.

How is it going? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the talks as “quite useful” after an update from Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Riyadh, he said in a post on X. Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV yesterday that “difficult negotiations” lie ahead and are only “at the beginning,” The Moscow Times reported. Russia’s priority remains reviving the Black Sea grain agreement brokered by Turkey and the UN in 2022, he added.