US-Ukraine talks underway in Saudi Arabia, as Kremlin warns of ‘difficult negotiations’

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: US and Ukrainian officials were meeting in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for talks on a partial ceasefire in the war with Russia, with Washington hoping for “real progress” but the Kremlin warning of “difficult negotiations” and a long journey to peace.

US President Donald Trump is pushing for a rapid end to the three-year war and hopes talks in Riyadh, which will see US officials hold separate technical-level discussions with delegations from Ukraine and Russia, could pave the way to a breakthrough.

Despite both sides proposing different plans for temporary ceasefires, attacks have continued unabated. A Russian strike on the Ukrainian capital killed three civilians overnight, while Ukrainian drones killed two in Russia, officials said Sunday.

Originally scheduled to take place simultaneously to enable shuttle diplomacy -- with the US going back and forth between the delegations -- the talks on a partial truce are now taking place one after the other.

The meeting between the Ukrainian team, led by defence minister Rustem Umerov, and the Americans got underway in Riyadh on Sunday evening, Umerov said on Facebook.

“The agenda includes proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure,” he said, adding the teams were “working through a number of complex technical issues”.

A senior Ukrainian official later told AFP the talks were going “well, but we have to wait until tomorrow to draw conclusions”.

Discussions between the US and Russia were set for Monday, with Russian state media reporting Moscow’s delegation had arrived in Riyadh on Sunday. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff voiced optimism that any agreement struck would pave the way to a “full-on” ceasefire.

“I think 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 to a full-on shooting ceasefire,” he told Fox News.

But the Kremlin on Sunday downplayed expectations of a rapid resolution, saying talks were just beginning.

“We are only at the beginning of this path,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV. He said there were many outstanding questions over how a potential ceasefire might be implemented. Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian call for a full and immediate 30-day pause, proposing instead a halt in attacks only on energy facilities.

“There are difficult negotiations ahead,” Peskov said in the interview, published on social media. Peskov said the “main” focus in its talks with the United States would be a possible resumption of a 2022 Black Sea grain deal that ensured safe navigation for Ukrainian farm exports via the Black Sea.