Zelensky calls the meeting with the United States in Riyadh on a partial ceasefire 'quite useful' and 'constructive'

On Sunday, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, expressed optimism regarding the negotiations taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between delegations from Kiev and Washington.

The Ukrainian leader described these talks, which focused on a possible partial cease-fire protecting energy facilities and critical infrastructure, as "quite useful" and in a  "fully constructive manner."

In his usual evening video message, posted on his X account, Zelensky reported that he spoke with Defense Minister Rustem Umérov, who is leading the Ukrainian delegation in the Saudi capital.

“Our team is working in a fully constructive manner, and the discussion is quite useful,” the Ukrainian said.

The negotiations, which Zelensky said had been going on for four hours at the time of his statement, are the second meeting between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia this month. The meeting comes aftera high-level meeting last March 11 in Jeddah.

Discussions are at a "more technical level" at this meeting, and the main objective is to advance proposals to safeguard Ukraine's key infrastructure against Russian attacks.

However, in the same message, Zelensky stressed the importance of pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to order a real cessation of hostilities.

“But no matter what we’re discussing with our partners right now, Putin must be pushed to issue a real order to stop the strikes—because the one who brought this war must be the one to take it back,” he stressed.

More meetings and diplomacy

Initially, Ukraine and Russia were scheduled to meet separately with the U.S. delegation on Monday in Riyadh. However, it is still unclear whether Ukrainian representatives will remain in the city beyond Sunday, a possibility that a Ukrainian official left open depending on the progress made.

The Kremlin confirmed that the Russian delegation, led by Senate International Affairs Committee head Grigory Karasin and Federal Security Service (FSB) adviser Sergey Beseda, is scheduled to arrive in Riyadh on Monday.

The New York Times reported that the U.S. delegation, led by the special envoy for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, along with Michael Anton, director of Policy Planning at the Department of State, and representatives of National Security Adviser Mike Waltz plans to act as a mediator. 

Kellogg explained last Thursday that if both sides remained in Riyadh, the United States would employ a "shuttle diplomacy" strategy, moving between rooms to facilitate indirect contacts between Ukrainians and Russians.

A complex path

The Kremlin, for its part, warned Sunday that the talks will be "difficult," according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to The Moscow Times.