Ban on strikes on energy infrastructure and more: What Ukraine and USA agreed on in Riyadh
Illustrative photo: Ukraine and the USA held negotiations in Saudi Arabia (mfa.gov.ua)
Ukraine and the USA held technical consultations and discussed the security of energy infrastructure and navigation in the Black Sea. The parties focused on the issue of the release of prisoners of war and the return of deported Ukrainian children, states Ukraine's Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, on Facebook.
"Fulfilling the task of the President of Ukraine, we continue to work on bringing a just peace and ensuring security for our country. This meeting is a logical extension of the successful consultations with the United States in Jeddah. No one wants a just peace more than Ukrainians, and our position remains honest, transparent and consistent," Umerov wrote.
Key results of the negotiations between the USA and Ukraine
The parties agreed to guarantee safe navigation in the Black Sea and prohibit the use of commercial vessels for military purposes. They also agreed to cease the use of force in the region.
Ukraine emphasizes that any departure of Russian military vessels beyond the Eastern Black Sea will violate the agreements. In such cases, Kyiv reserves the right to self-defense.
An agreement was reached on a complete ban on strikes against the energy infrastructure of both Ukraine and Russia. This will help stabilize the energy situation in the region.
The parties support the involvement of third countries to monitor the implementation of energy and maritime agreements. This will ensure their effective execution.
Negotiations will continue with the goal of achieving sustainable peace. The parties will work on further steps in this direction.
The USA reaffirmed its support for the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilians, and the return of deported Ukrainian children. This issue remains one of the key points in the negotiations.
To implement the agreements, additional technical consultations need to be held as soon as possible. These consultations will help align details, monitoring mechanisms, and controls.
What the USA says
The White House also published a statement regarding the results of the negotiations between Ukraine and the USA in Saudi Arabia. It is worth noting that the White House statement regarding the negotiations is almost identical to the statement made by Umerov.
However, it also mentions that the USA and Ukraine welcome the assistance from third countries in supporting the implementation of energy and maritime agreements.
"The United States reiterated to both sides President Donald J. Trump’s imperative that the killing on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict must stop, as the necessary step toward achieving an enduring peace settlement," the statement says.
For this reason, the USA will continue to facilitate negotiations between both sides to achieve a peaceful settlement in line with the agreements reached in Riyadh.
Negotiation process regarding the end of the war
Since the beginning of March, the USA has been conducting negotiations with Ukrainian and Russian delegations regarding a ceasefire. Specifically, the United States proposed a 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
This proposal was supported by Ukraine; however, the Kremlin has yet to give direct consent. At the same time, the Russians have put forward a number of additional conditions, including the cessation of mobilization and halting the supply of Western weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Over the weekend, another round of negotiations between the USA and the Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place in Riyadh regarding the end of the war.
On March 25, the USA held talks with the Russian delegation, which lasted about 12 hours. After these negotiations, it became known that additional talks were held with the Ukrainian side.
As a result of the negotiations, the administration of US President Donald Trump hopes to finalize a ceasefire agreement by April 20. However, the USA has not ruled out the possibility of these deadlines being shifted.
