Kellogg reveals details of “indirect talks” between Ukraine and Russia in Saudi Arabia
21 March 06:38
The United States initiates “indirect talks” between Ukraine and Russia in Saudi Arabia. American diplomats will meet separately with representatives of both sides. This was stated by Donald Trump’s special representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, in an interview with ABC News, Komersant ukrainskyi reports
How the negotiations will take place
According to Kellogg, the negotiation process will be based on the principle of “shuttle diplomacy,” which means that delegations will be in different rooms, and American mediators will pass information and proposals between them.
“This week we are sending technical teams to Saudi Arabia, where indirect talks will take place. Both sides will be present, but in different rooms,” Kellogg said.
According to him, this will allow the United States to learn in one day about the conditions and positions of Russia and Ukraine on the ceasefire.
“You’re basically saying: “Okay. What are your conditions?” And you turn to the other side: “What are your conditions?”. It’s basically shuttle diplomacy between rooms in Riyadh,” Kellogg explained.
The main goal of the talks is to assess possible further steps in resolving the conflict.
Are there any chances to end the war?
The United States views these talks as the first stage that could lead to a comprehensive cessation of hostilities.
“Let’s see if we can achieve a comprehensive ceasefire. This will be the first step to ending the war,” Trump’s representative emphasized.
Prerequisites for the talks
A few days before the announcement of the meeting in Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump had separate phone conversations with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine:
- on March 18, he spoke with Vladimir Putin. Trump said that the parties had reached an agreement to stop strikes on energy infrastructure, but the Kremlin refused a 30-day full truce.
- march 19 – Telephone dialog with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The leaders discussed the situation at the front, the release of prisoners, and the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia.
Following these conversations, the presidents of Ukraine and the United States instructed their teams to work on technical issues related to the implementation and expansion of the partial ceasefire.
When the talks will take place
The delegations are scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days. Ukraine and the United States have confirmed their readiness for dialogue, but Russia’s official reaction is still unknown.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that this week the Ukrainian contact group will meet with US representatives in Saudi Arabia. There, the parties will continue discussions on a temporary ceasefire.
Ukraine is currently preparing a list of infrastructure that Kyiv considers “priority and civilian” that is being shelled by Russia.
Negotiations between the US and Russian sides are scheduled for March 23. Ukraine will not participate in them.
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Talks between the US and Russia
on February 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Prime Minister’s aide Yuri Ushakov met in Saudi Arabia with an American delegation, represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Volz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
After the talks, the US State Department reported that the delegations agreed to “eliminate irritants” in bilateral relations and continue to work on preparing talks on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The two sides also agreed to appoint high-level groups for further talks on Ukraine.
Jackie Heinrich, a Fox News correspondent at the White House, reported that the United States and Russia discussed a three-stage peace plan for Ukraine, which consists of the following stages
- A ceasefire.
- Holding elections in Ukraine.
- Conclusion of a peace agreement.
on February 27, negotiations between the Americans and Russians continued in Istanbul. According to the Russian side, they discussed the normalization of diplomatic relations. The Kremlin also allegedly demanded the return of 6 properties that had been seized from Russians in the United States in 2016-2018, and also proposed to resume air travel.
on March 13, Putin met in Moscow with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. The parties have not yet made any statements about the results of this meeting, except for the words of Trump’s national security adviser Mike Volz that there are grounds for cautious optimism.
Trump’s proposals to Putin
According to inaccurate information from former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul(he used the word “allegedly”), Trump offered Putin (McFaul’s wording is retained)
- ukrainian territory;
- ukraine’s non-membership in NATO;
- no American soldiers in Ukraine;
- withdrawal of American soldiers from Europe, including from frontline countries;
- easing of sanctions.
According to McFaul, Putin has not offered anything yet.
