Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia will not meet face-to-face at talks in Saudi Arabia - Washington Pos
At the ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia, negotiators from Ukraine and Russia will not meet face-to-face, they will be in different rooms, and mediators will pass on information.
According to Censor.NET, citing RBC-Ukraine, The Washington Post reports.
Thus, according to Yuriy Ushakov, the chief foreign policy aide to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, the US-mediated talks will focus on a ceasefire in the Black Sea. In addition, Russia is expected to give up strikes on the energy sector. This means a partial ceasefire.
It is noted that Moscow has made it clear that the talks in Saudi Arabia will concern grain supplies through the Black Sea, which was part of a previous agreement concluded in the summer of 2022.
The publication explains that the negotiators of the two countries will be in separate rooms, and intermediaries will pass information to one and the other.
"It's going to be close-distance talks... something like shuttle diplomacy in a hotel," said Keith Kellogg, Trump's special representative for Ukraine and Russia.
It is also noted that the Russian delegation in Riyadh will be headed by Senator Grigory Karasin, who oversees foreign affairs, as well as a senior adviser to the FSB director, Sergei Beseda.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the delegation would also include energy experts and "people who have a deep understanding of port infrastructure."
It is reported that the US mediators will include Michael Anton, Director of Policy Planning under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Kellogg's aides and representatives of the office of National Security Advisor Michael Waltz.
Earlier it was reported that the United States and Ukraine would hold a meeting in Riyadh the day before the talks with Russia.
Meeting in Saudi Arabia on March 24
As a reminder, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that on March 24, US representatives would hold separate meetings with representatives of Russia and representatives of Ukraine in Saudi Arabia to continue coordinating steps to end the war.
The meeting will be held at the level of technical teams.
On March 15, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered the formation of a delegation to cooperate with international partners to organize a negotiation process to achieve a just peace.
The delegation was headed by the head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak. The delegation also included Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Umierov, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa.
