US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CBS News on Sunday: “We are now going to talk about a Black Sea maritime ceasefire so that both sides can move grain, fuel, and start conducting trade again in the Black Sea,”
Al Jazeera reports.
On Sunday, the Kremlin spokesman also said the resumption of the 2022 Black Sea grain deal will be the “main” focus of the talks.
“On Monday, we mainly intend to discuss President Putin’s agreement to resume the so-called Black Sea initiative, and our negotiators will be ready to discuss the nuances around this problem,” Peskov said.
Moscow pulled out of the deal – brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations – in 2023, accusing the West of failing to lift sanctions on Russia’s exports of farm produce and fertilisers.
Negotiators from the United States and Russia have started talks in Saudi Arabia as they aim to make progress towards a broad ceasefire in Ukraine, with the resumption of the Black Sea grain deal and a continued pause in attacks against energy and civilian infrastructure high on the agenda.
The peace talks are being held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, a day after negotiations between the US and Ukrainian delegations as part of President Donald Trump’s push to end the more than three years of war between Ukraine and Russia.
Russia’s team is headed by Sergei Beseda, a veteran of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), and diplomat Grigory Karasin who has previously been deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the UK.
The US Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has also been leading the Russia-Ukraine negotiations, voiced optimism that talks could pave the way for a “full-on” 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,” he told Fox News on Sunday.
