Senior delegations from the United States and Russia concluded talks on a ceasefire plan for Ukraine after more than 12 hours on the 24th (local time), according to RIA Novosti and other agencies.
RIA Novosti reported that the bilateral talks held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, lasted over 12 hours before concluding. The meeting, which started around 10 a.m., ended at approximately 10:30 p.m. A source told the agency, "A joint statement on the outcome of the talks will be announced tomorrow."
The U.S. delegation included Michael Anton, Director of Policy Planning at the State Department, Keith Kellogg, Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia under President Donald Trump, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Representing Russia were Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council's Committee on International Affairs, and Sergey Beseda, Advisor to the Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The key agenda item at the talks was the "partial ceasefire plan" agreed upon by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call on the 18th. This plan involves Russia and Ukraine halting attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days. President Trump sought agreement on this during a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the 19th.
Discussions also reportedly covered grain shipments through the Black Sea. During a briefing amid the talks, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned, "We are discussing expanding the ceasefire to the Black Sea from Saudi Arabia." The United States and Ukraine held talks in Riyadh a day before this meeting.
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s Defense Minister leading the Ukrainian delegation, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) the previous day, "The discussions were productive and intensive, and we addressed key issues including energy."
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