On Tuesday the United States mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine regarding a temporary ceasefire against energy infrastructure. While this ceasefire has been previously agreed to by both Moscow and Kiev, it has been repeatedly violated by Ukraine which specifically targeted energy infrastructure. On Sunday the U.S. held a meeting with Ukraine and did so with Russia on Monday. Tuesday’s discussions combine the outcomes of Sunday and Monday’s individual talks, however no deal has been finalized or agreed to yet.
“The meetings in Riyadh were expected to focus on the details of a tentative agreement between Russia and Ukraine to temporarily halt strikes on energy infrastructure,” The New York Times said Tuesday. “But Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said on Tuesday that the sides mostly discussed the safety of shipping in the Black Sea and the restoration of a grain deal agreed to in 2022 that allowed millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to be exported. Mr. Lavrov said that Russia was in favor of restoring the grain deal, but only if unspecified Russian demands were met.”
Zelensky, whose country has been bombing infrastructure despite agreeing to a ceasefire, has said that he will prepare a list of targets which can be added to a future ceasefire as well as proposing an independent third party to monitor compliance with the ceasefire, such as the U.S.
“Steven Witkoff, whom President Trump has tapped to be his personal envoy to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, has said that the ultimate goal of the talks is a 30-day full cease-fire that would allow time for negotiations on a permanent truce,” The New York Times said Tuesday.
Some believe that Russia and Ukraine’s insistence for ‘satisfactory’ peace plan instead of an adequate peace plan will delay the end to the war.
“Russia and Ukraine may see a greater incentive to prolong the three-year conflict instead of rushing into a full settlement, according to an assessment by the US intelligence community that clashes with President Donald Trump’s pledges for a rapid end to the three-year conflict,” Bloomberg said Tuesday. “Although both sides have shown willingness to test partial ceasefires, ‘leaders for now probably still see the risks of a longer war as less than those of an unsatisfying settlement,’ according to the Director of National Intelligence’s latest unclassified assessment published Tuesday.”
As the negotiations have not concluded with an agreement, Moscow is keeping secret the content of the talks.
”The outcomes of the marathon Russian-American negotiations have been relayed to the respective capitals and are currently under analysis,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “These were technical talks, which involved an in-depth exploration of details, so naturally, the content of those discussions will not be made public.”
During Tuesday’s peace talks, it was reported that Ukrainian Dictator Vladimir Zelensky is seeking to expand his military into the younger ages, specifically men between 18 to 24-years-old. This comes on the heels of Ukraine trying to entice the younger demographic into battle via the use of cheap American fast food.
“I visited the front on Saturday. There is a demand from specific brigades, and we will be responding positively to it. There will be more brigades employing young specialists,” Zelensky said. “This initiative will extend to the National Guard and border guard units, as all effective defense forces should be given every opportunity to enhance their capabilities.”