US and Ukraine begin talks on ceasefire in Black Sea

US and Ukrainian delegations during negotiations in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), March 11, 2025. (Photo: THX/TTXVN)

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on March 23 that talks between US and Ukrainian officials on a possible partial ceasefire in the war with Russia began the same day in Saudi Arabia.

On Facebook, Mr. Umerov stated: "We have started a meeting with the US delegation in Riyadh. The agenda includes proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure."

On the same day, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said the conflict in Ukraine is closer to peace than ever.

"We're closer to peace than we've ever been," Waltz told CBS News. "Here's what's going to happen: we had a ceasefire on air infrastructure that was put in place after President Trump's phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, and now we're going to discuss a ceasefire in the Black Sea, so that both sides can move grain, fuel, and start trading again across the Black Sea."

The US official added that Washington believes the next step towards peace in Ukraine will be discussions about the "Line of Control, which is the actual front lines."

“And this will go into detail about verification mechanisms, peacekeeping, as well as freezing the defense lines in place,” Waltz said.

According to sources, Russian and US technical expert groups will meet in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on March 24 for talks, expected to focus on the Black Sea Grains Initiative.

Previously, on March 18, Russian President Putin had a phone call with US President Trump.

The Kremlin said Mr Trump proposed a 30-day truce in attacks on energy facilities. Mr Putin immediately ordered the strikes to stop.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that Ukraine would support this proposal. However, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Ukrainian drones attacked an oil depot in southwestern Russia just hours after the phone call between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump./.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/my-va-ukraine-bat-dau-dam-phan-ve-ngung-ban-tren-bien-den-246959.html