In this photo taken on March 21, 2025 and provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade press service on March 24, 2025, servicemen attend a dedication ceremony for soldiers near the frontline in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
In this photo taken on March 21, 2025 and provided by Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized Brigade press service on March 24, 2025, servicemen attend a dedication ceremony for soldiers near the frontline in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized …
The U.S. and Russia opened up a new set of talks Monday aimed at reaching a partial ceasefire in Ukraine with both sides warning negotiations to end the three-year-old war will be difficult.
Talks will initially focus on a ceasefire in the Black Sea before moving to more complex issues such as ceasefire verification, developing a peacekeeping contingent and the ownership of territories.
Neither side revealed much information about the talks with Russian state news agencies saying the meeting lasted more than 12 hours and the two sides are expected to publish a joint statement on Tuesday.
Serhii Leschenko, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that a delegation from Kyiv would hold additional talks with U.S. officials after the talks with Moscow.
But he cautioned against expecting an agreement out of the meeting, saying “negotiations are usually not concluded in a single day; they sometimes take months.”
While American and Russian negotiators met in Saudi Arabia, a missile strike Monday on the Ukrainian city of Sumy injured 88, including at least 17 children.
A day earlier, Trump administration officials made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows to express optimism that negotiations would achieve a lasting ceasefire.
“I think you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that you’ll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire,” Steve Witkoff, the White House special envoy to the Middle East, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned of “difficult negotiations.”
“There are still many aspects related to the settlement which are to be worked out,” Mr. Peskov told reporters on a media call Monday.
Late Sunday, Russia launched 99 drones in attacks that injured at least one person, and a Saturday night drone assault killed three people in Kyiv, including a father and his 5-year-old daughter, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine has attempted to defend itself by returning fire, but the Russian minister of defense said its forces intercepted and destroyed 28 drones sent into Russia on Sunday evening.
“Every night is now a large-scale Russian drone attack,” Mr. Zelesnkyy said in his nightly address.
Adding to the difficulties is an apparent contradiction about what is on the table.
The White House says that banning attacks on “energy and infrastructure” is on the table, but the Kremlin has continued attacks on such facilities. Mr. Zelenskyy has called on expanding a partial ceasefire to include railways and ports.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would accept a partial 30-day ceasefire covering energy infrastructure, but he also included a list of demands that would punish Ukraine so badly it would be the equivalent of a surrender.
The U.S. delegation that met with the Russians on Monday is led by Andrew Peek, senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, director of policy planning staff at the State Department.
The Russians are represented by Grigory Karasin, the leader of the Russian upper house of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergei Beseda, an adviser to the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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