Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced Sunday that the talks between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations had concluded in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, saying the discussion was "productive and focused", with "key points including energy" addressed, Reuters reports.
In a post on social media platform X, Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, emphasized that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's goal is "to secure a just and lasting peace" for Ukraine and Europe at large, claiming, "We are working to make that goal a reality."
The Ukrainian and U.S. teams met earlier in the day in Riyadh.
According to the Ukrinform news agency, the Ukrainian delegation also included State Secretary of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleksandr Karasevych, deputy heads of the President's Office, Pavlo Palisa and Ihor Zhovkva, as well as Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk.
Palisa confirmed on the same day that the Ukrainian delegation would not meet with the Russian delegation in Riyadh.
In a video address on Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the talks held that day between the Ukrainian and U.S. delegations were "very productive". He also called on all parties to continue to exert pressure on Russia to compel it to achieve a "genuine" ceasefire.
The talks came almost two weeks after a previous meeting between the two sides in the Saudi port city of Jeddah saw Ukraine okay a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire plan in exchange for Washington lifting its pause on military aid to and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Notably, the meeting precedes the talks between U.S. and Russian delegations scheduled for Monday. Media reported late Sunday that the Russian delegation had arrived in Riyadh. The delegation includes Grigory Karasin, chairman of the committee on international affairs in Russia's upper house, and Sergey Beseda, adviser to the head of Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier.
