A US delegation will seek progress toward a Black Sea ceasefire and a broader cessation of violence in the war in Ukraine when it meets for talks with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Monday, after discussions with diplomats from Ukraine on Sunday. The White House says the aim of the talks is to reach a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, allowing the free flow of shipping.
A wide gulf remains, however, between the US’ and Russia’s expectations, with US envoy Steve Witkoff signalling hope for “real progress” and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warning that “difficult negotiations” lie ahead. “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,” Witkoff told Fox News. “And from that you’ll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire.” Peskov meanwhile told Russian state TV, “We are only at the beginning of this path.”
Witkoff dismissed UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s attempts to rally peacekeepers in Ukraine as “a posture and a pose.” He said the idea was based on a “simplistic” notion of the UK prime minister and other European leaders thinking: “We have all got to be like Winston Churchill.”
The US envoy also praised Vladimir Putin, saying he “liked” the Russian president and did not “regard Putin as a bad guy”. “That is a complicated situation, that war, and all the ingredients that led up to it.” He added that Putin was “super smart” and believed he wanted peace.
Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration was aiming to secure a broad truce agreement between Russia and Ukraine by Easter. The White House is aiming for a truce agreement by 20 April – Easter Sunday in both the western and orthodox churches this year. But sources told the news organisation that the date was likely to slip.
Ukraine’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov, said on social media talks with the US delegation were “constructive and meaningful” and focused on key issues, including the energy sector. Trump has previously suggested the US could control Ukraine’s nuclear power facilities.
At least seven people were killed in a barrage of strikes from more than 140 drones across Ukraine on Sunday, according to local Ukrainian officials and emergency services. The sound of explosions were heard in the early hours of the night across the capital, Kyiv, as the air raid continued for more than five hours. Russian drones and debris from shot-down drones, which were flying at lower altitudes to evade air defences, fell on residential buildings across the Ukrainian capital. At least one child was among those killed.
Russian troops reportedly seized the small village of Sribne in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, while Ukraine’s army said its troops had recaptured the small village of Nadia in the eastern Luhansk region.
Ukraine’s army has said its troops have recaptured a small village called Nadia in the eastern Luhansk region, in a rare battlefield success for Kyiv’s forces in an area that Russia has almost fully captured since invading in 2022.
