Ukraine, US teams hold talks in Saudi Arabia, US envoy hopeful on ending war
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An apartment building in Kyiv hit by an overnight Russian drone strike on March 23.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV/RIYADH – Ukrainian and US delegations discussed on March 23 proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure, Ukraine’s defence minister said, part of a diplomatic push by US President Donald Trump to end three years of war.
The meeting in Saudi Arabia, which precedes talks on March 24 between the US and Russian delegations, came as US special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about the chances for ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
“I feel that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wants peace,” Mr Witkoff told Fox News on March 23.
“I think that you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on March 24 some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that, you’ll naturally gravitate into a full-on shooting ceasefire.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s delegation to the March 23 talks was working in “a completely constructive manner”, adding: “The conversation is quite useful, the work of the delegations is continuing.
“But no matter what we say to our partners today, we need to get Putin to give a real order to stop the strikes,” Mr Zelensky said in a televised statement.
Ukraine’s delegation was headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who said the aim of such contacts was helping to “bring a just peace closer and to strengthen security”, though Mr Zelensky also said the talks were essentially “technical”.
Mr Putin agreed last week to Mr Trump’s proposal for Russia and Ukraine to stop attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days,
A large-scale Russian drone attack on Kyiv overnight
Meanwhile Russian authorities said on March 23 that their air defences had destroyed 59 Ukrainian drones targeting the country’s south-western regions, adding that the strikes had killed one person in Rostov.
Mr Zelensky, facing continued advances by Russian troops in eastern Ukraine, has backed Mr Trump’s call for a blanket 30-day ceasefire.
‘Somewhat under control’
Mr Trump said on March 22 that efforts to stop further escalation in the Ukraine-Russia war were “somewhat under control”.
White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said on March 23 the US was talking through a range of confidence-building measures aimed at ending the war, including on the future of Ukrainian children taken into Russia.
Asked about the goals for the broader negotiations, Mr Waltz said that after a Black Sea ceasefire was agreed, “we’ll talk the line of control, which is the actual front lines”.
“And that gets into the details of verification mechanisms, peacekeeping, freezing the lines where they are,” Mr Waltz said. “And then of course, the broader and permanent peace.”
Mr Trump’s contacts with Mr Putin – two publicly announced phone calls but possibly other exchanges too
Britain and France are leading European efforts to beef up military and logistical support for Ukraine, and a number of countries have announced plans to increase defence spending as they try to reduce their reliance on the US.
However, Mr Witkoff on March 23 played down concerns among Washington’s European Nato allies that Putin might be emboldened by any peace deal in Ukraine to invade other neighbours.
“I just don’t see that he wants to take all of Europe. This is a much different situation than it was in World War II,” Mr Witkoff said. REUTERS
