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ARCHIVE - The US National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz. Photo: Saul Loeb/Pool AFP/dpa/Archive image
Keystone
Representatives of the USA and Russia have begun talks in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. local time (8 a.m. CET), will take place behind closed doors at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Russia's state news agency Tass reported.
The Russian negotiating delegation will be led by Georgi Karassin, a foreign policy expert who sits on the Federation Council, and Sergei Besseda, an intelligence officer who is considered a confidant of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. On the US side, President Donald Trump's security advisor Mike Waltz and Ukraine special envoy Keith Kellogg are leading the various negotiating teams in Saudi Arabia.
The US representatives already held initial talks with the Ukrainian negotiating team at the lecture. Defense Minister Rustem Umjerow assessed these as positive.
The aim of this shuttle diplomacy is to bring the positions of the hostile neighboring countries closer together in order to stop the war in Ukraine, Kellogg said before the talks.
Negotiations are being held on steps towards a ceasefire and subsequent peace. While Ukraine has already agreed to Trump's proposal for a ceasefire, initially limited to 30 days, Putin has set preconditions. Riyadh is therefore likely to initially focus on smaller steps such as refraining from strikes against energy objects and a ceasefire in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of shipping.
24.03.2025, 08:44
