US & Ukraine Hold Talks In Riyadh To Discuss Energy, Ceasefire Proposals

Ukraine and US delegations met in Saudi Arabia to discuss protecting energy & critical infrastructure, ahead of US-Russia talks in a diplomatic effort to end the three-year-long war.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country's talks were "completely constructive".

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Ukraine and United States delegations held talks in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh to discuss proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure, on Sunday. This preceded talks before the meeting of the US and Russia as part of a diplomatic push by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the three-year-long war.

According to Reuters, US special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about the prospects for ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. "I feel that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wants peace," Witkoff said on Sunday.

Witkoff said “some real progress” will be seen on Monday, “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.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country's delegation to Sunday's talks was working in "a completely constructive manner", adding: "The conversation is quite useful, the work of the delegations is continuing”. In a televised statement, he said, no matter what we say to our partners today Putin needs to be given a real order to stop the strikes.

Ukraine's delegation, led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, stated that the goal of such discussions was to "bring a just peace closer and strengthen security." However, President Zelenskyy described Sunday's talks as primarily "technical."

Last week, Putin agreed to Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, focusing solely on halting attacks on each other's energy infrastructure. However, the narrowly defined truce quickly came into question, as both sides reported continued strikes despite the agreement.

Facing continued advances by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy has expressed support for Trump's proposal of a blanket 30-day ceasefire.

On Sunday, a large-scale, Russian drone attack on Kyiv overnight killed at least three people, including a 5-year-old child causing fires in high-rise apartment buildings and damage throughout Kyiv. Meanwhile, Russian authorities said that their air defences had intercepted and destroyed 59 Ukrainian drones targeting the country’s southwestern regions. They added that the strikes resulted in the death of one person in Rostov.

On Saturday, Trump stated that efforts to prevent further escalation in the Ukraine-Russia war were "somewhat under control." The US is pushing for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia and hopes to reach a broad ceasefire in the war by April 20. But despite the peace push, both sides have been reporting continued strikes.

As per Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces had launched over 1,580 guided aerial bombs, nearly 1,100 attack drones, and 15 missiles against Ukraine in the past week.

European Leaders Concerned 

European leaders are increasingly concerned that Washington might shift its focus away from Europe in pursuit of a broader grand bargain with Russia, potentially encompassing oil prices, the Middle East, and competition with China.

In response, Britain and France are leading European efforts to beef up bolster military and logistical support for Ukraine. Several nations have also announced plans to increase defence spending to lessen their reliance on the United States.

However, Witkoff sought to ease fears among NATO's European allies on Sunday, downplaying concerns that any peace deal in Ukraine could embolden Putin to invade other neighbouring countries.