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The United States officials should again meet their Ukrainian counterparts after a series of discussions with Russian negotiators on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine.
A senior Ukrainian official told AFP news agency that the meeting would be held later on Monday after the American delegations and Russian delegations concluded their talks in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Monday American Talks-Russia were mainly focused on the end of the attacks on the expedition of the Black Sea, in order to move a wider ceasefire agreement which would end the three-year-old Russian war.
US officials had already met the Ukrainian team Sunday, to discuss the protection of civil and energy infrastructure, said the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, who directed the delegation and qualified the “productive” talks.
Reporting from Kyiv, ASSED BAIG of Al Jazeera said that Ukraine was now eager to see Russia accepting an agreement that would protect navigation at the sea of blacks, in particular “the cessation of bombing of Ukrainian ports Odesa, Kherson and Mykolaviv”.
“Now this has been a major concern for Ukrainians. Ukraine really wants their ports to work and work and that is why they initially offered a ceasefire in the air and the sea,” said Baig.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Monday that US and Russian officials discussed the possible resumption of the 2022 Black Sea Initiative, an agreement that was supposed to allow Ukraine to send millions of tonnes of cereals and other food exports from its ports.
Moscow withdrew from the initiative – negotiated by Turkey and the United Nations – in 2023, accusing the West of not maintaining its commitments to facilitate sanctions against the own exports of agricultural products and agricultural fertilizers.
No breakthrough expected
“No one holds up on their breath here while waiting for breakthroughs. Even the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, said that there was no expectation for a breakthrough in Riyad on Monday,” said Dorsa Jabbari of Al Jazeera, reporting from Moscow.
“What we expect to hammer the details of what Russia demands. The Russian delegation has spoke to the American official for at least the eight hours, as we understand, details on a 30-day ceasefire agreement with regard to energy and infrastructure, as well as the initiative of the Black Sea, “she added.
Maximalist requirements
The emphasis on the Black Sea is much narrower than a large 30-day ceasefire agreement that the United States proposed to Russia in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of the month.
Last week, after separate phone calls with US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted a Ceasefire limited to 30 daysGetting commitment not to attack energy infrastructure in the territories of the other.
But the two parties have accused the other of carrying out attacks against these specific energy targets in recent days.
The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was still remaining by the moratorium that Putin had promised Trump, despite the fact that Kyiv continues to hit Russian energy facilities.
Ukraine, who said she would only accept the break if an official document was signed, accused Moscow of having flouted his own moratorium.
However, Trump expressed a large satisfaction on how discussions took place and were complementary about Putin’s commitment to the process so far, saying on Saturday that efforts to stop climbing in the conflict were “somewhat under control”.
But there is skepticism among the great European powers as to whether Putin is ready to make significant concessions or will stick to what they consider as its maximalist requirements.
Putin says he is ready to discuss peace, but that Ukraine must officially abandon his NATO ambitions and withdraw his troops from the entire territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and mainly controlled by Russia.
Continuous attacks
Monday talks took place after Russia launched its third consecutive night attack against kyiv, injuring a person and damaging the houses of the region around the Ukrainian capital.
Ukraine Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said that Russia should stop its strikes instead of “making hollow peace statements” following a Russian missile attack against northeast Sumy in a “residential area”, which was injured at least 65, according to local prosecutors.
“Any diplomacy with Moscow must be supported by firepower, sanctions and pressure,” said Sybiha on X.
Russia, for its part, said that it had shot 227 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours, while firefighters in its southern Krasnodar region were fighting for a fifth day to turn a fire in an oil depot hit in an attack by Drone Ukrainien last week.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that Ukraine had made two drone strikes at the Valuka gas distribution station in the Belgorod region on Saturday.
In addition, he said the Ukrainian forces had attempted to attack the Glebovskoye gas condensate field in Crimea, but that the Russian air defenses had rejected the attack.
