Content of US-Russia talks in Riyadh 'will definitely not be published,' Kremlin says
"We are talking about technical negotiations. These negotiations are immersed in details, so, of course, the content of these negotiations will definitely not be published. This is not to be expected," the spokesperson said.
Peskov added that the results of the consultations had been relayed to Moscow and Washington and are currently under review.
His remarks came after 12 hours of U.S.-Russia negotiations on March 24. A new round of U.S.-Ukraine talks took place on March 25, following an initial meeting on March 23.
The negotiations are part of U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire and a broader peace agreement in Ukraine.
The U.S. initially planned to meet with both Ukraine and Russia on the same day, but President Volodymyr Zelensky later announced that Kyiv's delegation would meet with U.S. officials on March 23, a day before the U.S.-Russia talks.
Peskov confirmed on March 24 that the Black Sea Initiative was a key topic in the U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh. Similar agreements existed under the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the U.N. and Turkey.
Despite the ongoing war, this initiative allowed Ukraine to export agricultural products via the Black Sea. The deal, which helped stabilize global food prices, collapsed in July 2023 when Moscow withdrew.
Since then, Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure.
A Russian ballistic missile struck Odesa's port on March 1, damaging facilities and a Panamanian-flagged civilian ship. Several other foreign vessels have been hit, including in October 2024, when multiple ships sustained damage in separate Russian strikes.
According to Reuters, the U.S. delegation in Riyadh was led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Department official.
The Russian delegation included Grigory Karasin, the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, and Sergei Beseda, an adviser to FSB director Alexander Bortnikov.
Karasin later described the talks as proceeding in a "creative way," saying the U.S. and Russian delegations "understand each other's views," as quoted by Russian state news agency Interfax.
The negotiations come amid concerns that Moscow is deliberately stalling peace efforts to strengthen its position. The Kremlin claimed last week that it had ordered a 30-day halt to strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure following a phone call between Trump and Putin.
Kyiv also supported a mutual halt on energy strikes but later accused Russia of continuing attacks on civilian targets.
The U.S. and Ukraine initially backed a broader 30-day ceasefire that would include halting ground operations, but Russia rejected the proposal unless it included conditions that would undermine Ukraine's defense capabilities, such as suspending foreign military support.
Read also: Ukraine US begin new round of talks in Riyadh, media reports
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
35 minutes ago
- CNBC
Trump to speak with Putin after U.S. pauses some weapons shipments to Ukraine
President Donald Trump said he will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET. The call comes two days after the U.S. said it would halt some missile and ammunitions shipments to Ukraine, which continues to fight off invading Russian forces. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
Washington Post
38 minutes ago
- Washington Post
How Ukraine can cope with the US pause on crucial battlefield weapons
KYIV, Ukraine — The decision by the United States to pause some weapons shipments to Ukraine has come at a tough time for Kyiv : Russia's bigger army is making a concerted push on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and is intensifying long-range drone and missile attacks that increasingly hammer civilians in Ukrainian cities .
San Francisco Chronicle
38 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
How Ukraine can cope with the US pause on crucial battlefield weapons
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The decision by the United States to pause some weapons shipments to Ukraine has come at a tough time for Kyiv: Russia's bigger army is making a concerted push on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and is intensifying long-range drone and missile attacks that increasingly hammer civilians in Ukrainian cities. Washington has been Ukraine's biggest military backer since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022. But the Trump administration has been disengaging from the war, and no end to the fighting is in sight, despite recent direct peace talks. Specific weapons needed from U.S. Amid recurring concerns in Kyiv about how much military support its allies can supply and how quickly, Ukraine has raced to build up its domestic defense industry. The country's output has gradually grown, especially in the production of more and increasingly sophisticated drones, but Ukraine needs to speedily scale up production. Crucially, some high-tech U.S. weapons are irreplaceable. They include Patriot air defense missiles, which are needed to fend off Russia's frequent ballistic missile attacks, but which cost $4 million each. That vital system is included in the pause, and many cities in Ukraine, including Kyiv, could become increasingly vulnerable. A senior Ukrainian official said Thursday that Patriot systems are 'critically necessary' for Ukraine, but U.S.-made HIMARS precision-guided missiles, also paused, are in less urgent need as other countries produce similar assets. 'Other countries that have these (Patriot) systems can only transfer them with U.S. approval. The real question now is how far the United States is willing to go in its reluctance to support Ukraine,' he told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of sensitivity of the subject. The official said that Patriot missiles exist in sufficient numbers globally, and he said that accessing them requires political resolve. 'There are enough missiles out there,' he said, without providing evidence. He also stated that Ukraine has already scaled up its domestic production of 155 mm artillery shells, which were once critically short, and is now capable of producing more than is currently contracted. 'Supplies from abroad have also become more available than before,' he said. Backup plan Amid at times fraught relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been enlisting greater European help for his country's arms manufacturing plans. European countries don't have the production levels, military stockpiles or the technology to pick up all the slack left by the U.S. pause, but Zelenskyy is recruiting their help for ambitious joint investment projects. Draft legislation to help Ukrainian defense manufacturers scale up and modernize production, including building new facilities at home and abroad, will be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament later this month, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced this week. Zelenskyy said last month that major investments will go to the production of drones and artillery shells. 'The volume of support this year is the largest since the start of the full-scale war,' he said about commitments from foreign countries. Under Trump, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine. Between March and April, the United States allocated no new help at all, according to Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks such support. For the first time since June 2022, four months after Russia's full-scale invasion, European countries have surpassed the U.S. in total military aid, totaling 72 billion euros ($85 billion) compared with 65 billion euros ($77 billion) from the U.S., the institute said last month. Big battlefield problem Without Patriot missiles, as well as the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile and shorter-range Stinger missiles that are also included in the pause, Ukrainian cities likely will take a bashing as more Russian missiles pierce air defenses. On the front line, Ukrainian troops haven't recently voiced complaints about ammunition shortages, as they have in the past. They have always said that during the war, they have never had as much ammunition to as their disposal as Russian forces. The army faces a different problem: It's desperately short-handed. It's turning to drones to compensate for its manpower shortage, and analysts say the front isn't about to collapse. 'This is war — and in war, steady deliveries are always crucial,' he said. ___ Barry Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. ___
