Ukraine-Russia war latest: US-led ceasefire talks start in Saudi Arabia after Putin bombs Kyiv for third night
Speaking on eve of talks, Trump's special envoy says 'smart guy' Putin does not want to take all of Europe
Ceasefire talks have got underway in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh this morning between Russian officials and a delegation from the Trump administration.
US envoys began simultaneous but separate talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on Sunday night, with the discussions focussing on a ceasefire in the Black Sea and the terms of a halt on attacks on energy infrastructure.
Vladimir Putin's forces struck Kyiv for the third night in a row overnight, while the two sides exchanged attacks involving dozens of drones each even as talks to cease hostilities began.
On the eve of the talks, Mr Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff rejected Sir Keir Starmer's peace plans for Ukraine as “a posture and a pose” and praised Vladimir Putin as a “smart guy”.
“I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy,” Mr Witkoff told Trump-supporting commentator Tucker Carlson. "I just don't see that he wants to take all of Europe."
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What is being discussed in Saudi Arabia? A Black Sea shipping deal
Andy Gregory reports:
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow’s main focus on Monday would be on a possible resumption of the UN-brokered July 2022 deal to ensure safe navigation for commercial vessels in the Black Sea.
Despite Russia having unilaterally withdrawn later that same year, the Kremlin claimed that Mr Putin had “responded constructively” to a Trump initiative on Black Sea shipping and had agreed to begin negotiations.
In remarks that will do little to assuage European fears that the White House is increasingly parroting Kremlin propaganda, US special envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News on Sunday: “I feel that [Mr Putin] wants peace.
“I think that you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday 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.”
Watch: Russia doesn't want to occupy Ukraine, US special envoy tells Tucker Carlson
What is being discussed in Saudi Arabia: 30-day pause on energy facility attacks
Broadly, the talks will focus on the details of a proposed 30-day ceasefire on strikes on energy infrastructure – as well as a longer-term peace deal.
Following a phone call last week, Mr Putin and Mr Trump agreed “that the movement to peace will begin” with a 30-day pause in attacks on Russian and Ukrainian energy facilities, the White House said.
But that narrowly defined ceasefire was quickly cast into doubt, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of bombing its own oil depot in Kursk to undermine the agreement, while also striking hospitals and homes in Ukraine and knocking out power to some railways.
Nevertheless, Mr Zelensky has said that Kyiv would draw up a list of facilities which could be subject to a partial ceasefire, including not just energy, but also rail and port infrastructure.
A moratorium on energy facilities could disproportionately favour Moscow, given Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities have been a key route for Kyiv to inflict pain on its aggressor.
US-Ukraine meeting was 'productive', says Kyiv's defence minister
Officials from Kyiv and Washington met in Riyadh’s grand Ritz-Carlton hotel behind closed doors on Sunday, where they discussed details of a partial ceasefire in Ukraine.
Kyiv’s delegation was led by defence minister Rustem Umerov, who hailed the “productive and focussed” talks on X after the meeting concluded.
Mr Umerov said the meeting addressed the “complex technical issues” of a ceasefire on energy infrastructure, and that the delegation was focussed on Kyiv’s goal of securing a “just and lasting peace” for all of Europe.
Russia-US talks begin in Saudi Arabia
Talks between the US and Russia have begun in Saudi Arabia, Russian state media reports.
In an intense round of diplomacy, US officials will hold simultaneous talks with their counterparts from Kyiv and Moscow as they look to push through a 30-day partial ceasefire in Ukraine.
The delegations will also discuss the prospect of a longer-term peace deal following the initial ceasefire.
Ukraine downs 57 drones out of 99 launched by Russia overnight
Ukraine's air force said it shot down 57 drones out of 99 launched by Russia overnight.
Another 36 imitator drones did not reach their targets, it said. It did not specify what happened to the remaining six drones.
Starmer praises ‘good relationship’ with Trump hours before US envoy slams PM’s peace plan
Keir Starmer hailed his “good relationship” with Donald Trump just hours before the US President’s special envoy slammed the PM’s Ukraine peace plan as "a posture and a pose".
Steve Witkoff said the Labour leader’s idea of a peacekeeping force made up of the ‘coalition of the willing’ was based on a "simplistic" notion of thinking "we have all got to be like Winston Churchill".
In an interview with the pro-Trump personality Tucker Carlson, Mr Witkoff also praised Vladimir Putin, saying that he "liked" the Russian president. "I don't regard Putin as a bad guy. He's super smart," he said.
Mr Witkoff is leading the US ceasefire negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.
Starmer praises ‘good relationship’ with Trump hours before US envoy slams peace plan
US seeks Black Sea ceasefire in Ukraine and Russia talks today
A US delegation will seek progress toward a Black Sea ceasefire and a broader cessation of violence in the war in Ukraine when it meets for talks with Russian officials today, held after separate discussions with diplomats from Ukraine.
A source briefed on the planning for the talks said the US side was being led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Department official.
They met the Ukrainians last night and plan to sit down with the Russians this morning.
The White House says the aim of the talks is to reach a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, allowing the free flow of shipping
Russia and US talks in Saudi Arabia to start shortly
The Russian and US delegations plan to begin their talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at 7am GMT (10am Moscow time), the Russian state news TASS agency reported, citing an unnamed source.
The ceasefire negotiations will be held on the same day as separate talks take place between the US and Ukrainian officials, also in Saudi Arabia.
On the eve of the talks, US special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about the chances for ending Europe's deadliest conflict since the Second World War.
What happens to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory after peace talks?
The fate of currently Russia-occupied Ukrainian territory will be one of the key areas of discussion at the talks in Saudi Arabia today.
Russian forces have illegally occupied one-fifth of Ukraine since they launched the full-scale military invasion over three years ago.
Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz was asked yesterday if the US would accept a peace deal in which Russia was allowed to keep Ukrainian territory.
He replied: "We have to ask ourselves, is it in our national interest? Is it realistic?... Are we going to drive every Russian off of every inch of Ukrainian soil?"
Ukraine says it already recognises that it cannot recapture some occupied Ukrainian territory by force and that it will have to be returned diplomatically over time.
Kyiv says, however, that it will never recognise Russian sovereignty over Ukrainian territory.
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