Negotiations between delegations of Ukraine and the United States in the capital of Saudi Arabia ended on March 25. According to the public, with reference to its own sources, the meeting was held at the Ritz-Karlton Hotel, where the advice of US representatives with a delegation of Russia was held the day before. The discussion details remain unknown, however, a series of diplomatic meetings in Riyadh indicates an intensification of international efforts to find decisions in a long war between Russia and Ukraine.
Before that, on March 23, the American delegation met with Ukrainian officials, and on March 24 - with representatives of Russia. Thus, the meeting on March 25 became the second for Ukraine and the US in Riyadh. It is known that the negotiations were in closed mode, without the participation of journalists.
According to the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russia does not intend to disclose the content of negotiations with the United States. He stressed that these meetings were "technical" and aimed at "immersion in details", which provides a closed nature of discussions. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova said that the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov will reveal some aspects of these consultations in his interview on March 25.
Washington does not officially comment on the content of the negotiations, however, according to the world media, one of the topics discussed during a meeting with the Russians was the possibility of "limited ceasefire in the Black Sea." This could be the first step towards the wider peace talks, but any concessions to the Kremlin without the appropriate guarantees for Ukraine raise doubts in Kiev.
The United States is expected to coordinate its actions with Ukrainian partners to prevent a situation in which negotiations with Russia will be used as a pressure tool on Kiev to accept disadvantageous conditions.
Saudi Arabia is not the first time acting as a mediator in international negotiations on Ukraine. Earlier in Riyadh there were meetings on a peaceful settlement of the war, in particular in August 2023, when Saudi Arabia organized a summit with the participation of Ukraine, the US, EU countries and representatives of the Global South.
Riyad has good relations with both the West and Moscow, which allows him to play the role of a neutral landing ground. However, its impact on the Russian leadership remains limited, especially given the Kremlin's rigid position to continue the war.
According to sources in the White House, a "positive statement" is expected in the near future regarding the results of negotiations in Saudi Arabia. However, no documents are planned to be signed, which indicates the intermediate nature of the negotiation process.
At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the details of the meeting, waiting for the official position of Washington. Kiev consistently insists that any peace talks should be based on Ukrainian interests and international law.
