US, Russia resume talks in Saudi Arabia as Zelenskyy urges pressure on Putin

File Source: Euro

Negotiators from the United States and Russia convened in Saudi Arabia on Monday for renewed discussions aimed at de-escalating Moscow’s three-year war on Ukraine. The White House remains focused on securing a ceasefire and laying the groundwork for a long-term peace agreement.

A key topic on the agenda is a proposed halt to strikes on energy infrastructure—an idea that has received tentative approval from both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported that the closed-door talks in Riyadh began Monday morning.

President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has played a central role in negotiations with both Moscow and Kyiv, voiced optimism about the discussions. Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Witkoff said the president’s “philosophy of peace through strength brings people to the table to clear up misconceptions and to get peace deals done.” He added, “I’m not sure how anyone would expect an end to a conflict when you’re not communicating.”

The U.S.-Russia meeting follows discussions between American and Ukrainian officials in Riyadh a day earlier. After receiving a briefing from Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Zelenskyy described Sunday’s meeting as “quite useful.” However, he maintained that pressure must remain on Moscow.

“But no matter what we’re discussing with our partners right now, Putin must be pushed to issue a real order to stop the strikes—because the one who brought this war must be the one to take it back,” Zelenskyy said, referring to continued Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have also carried out long-range drone strikes inside Russian territory.

Concerns have emerged in Ukraine and elsewhere over statements made by Witkoff, which some fear align with Russian narratives on the war. Speaking to Tucker Carlson, Witkoff discussed the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—partially occupied and claimed as annexed by Russia in 2022—along with Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

“They are Russian-speaking, and there have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule,” Witkoff said.

His remarks failed to acknowledge that these referenda—whether in Crimea in 2014 or in other regions in 2022—were widely condemned as fraudulent by Western governments, human rights organizations, and international bodies.

In September 2022, then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. stance, stating, “The U.S. does not, and will never, recognize any of the Kremlin’s claims to sovereignty over parts of Ukraine that it’s seized by force and now purports to incorporate into Russia.”

Witkoff also highlighted the rapport between Trump and Putin, telling Carlson that the Russian leader had prayed for “his friend” Trump after the assassination attempt against the president in July 2024. He added that Putin gifted him a portrait of Trump, saying, “This is the kind of connection that we’ve been able to reestablish through a simple word called communication, which many people would say I shouldn’t have had because Putin is a bad guy. I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy.”

Meanwhile, cross-border drone attacks continued throughout the weekend. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 99 drones overnight from Sunday into Monday, with 93 either intercepted or lost in flight. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down 28 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.