Ukraine and US to hold talks in Saudi Arabia - Foreign Ministry reveals details
Photo: Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Heorhii Tykhyi (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
The upcoming meeting between Ukraine and US delegations in Saudi Arabia on March 24 will be technical rather than political. The purpose of the meeting is to define the parameters of proposals regarding various ceasefire regimes, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing Heorhii Tykhyi, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a briefing.
"This is not a political meeting, but a technical one. The meeting will focus on defining the parameters of the proposals for different ceasefire regimes that are currently on the negotiation table. As a state, we have proposed and agreed to a specific American proposal for a 30-day temporary total ceasefire," Tykhyi said.
Ukrainian spokesperson emphasized that if dictator Vladimir Putin and Russia had agreed to the proposal, a ceasefire could have already been in place. However, the Kremlin has raised new conditions, including a limited agreement supposedly to refrain from strikes on energy and critical infrastructure, which is still being clarified by both sides. Tykhyi added that Ukraine's intent to pursue peace has been clearly demonstrated.
"The negotiations that will take place in Saudi Arabia are bilateral Ukrainian-American talks. We do not know how the Americans will engage with the Russians there; that is their choice," a Ukrainian spokesperson stated.
According to Tykhyi, after the meeting in Jeddah, the American team assured that they would relay the results to the Russian side and understand what the Russians were willing to accept. The representative of the Foreign Ministry added that Ukraine views this interaction as a technical-level discussion.
"Technical level and technical discussions. There will be a military component, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs is already a political one, as for the Minister, we have no plans yet for his participation in this meeting," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson added.
New meeting in Saudi Arabia
On March 11, a meeting took place in Saudi Arabia between Ukrainian and US representatives. As a result of the talks, the US proposed a 30-day comprehensive ceasefire, which Ukraine accepted. However, Russia began to set conditions. In particular, Putin demands that Ukraine cease receiving foreign assistance if a ceasefire is to take place.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new meeting between the Ukrainian and US teams in Saudi Arabia, scheduled for Monday, March 21. He emphasized that this would be a technical meeting where various aspects of the ceasefire would be discussed.
