US, Ukraine delegations wrap ceasefire talks in Riyadh – it's Russia's turn to respond

The delegations from Ukraine and the United States wrapped up the ceasefire talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov calling the talks “productive and focused”. Shortly after the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a statement on Russia’s latest strike in the country, insisting that Moscow is the only one who needs to bring the war to an end.

According to The Kyiv Post, the discussions between Umerov’s team and that of US envoy Steve Witkoff focused largely on the protection of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The delegations from both nations also discussed the future of the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest. The nuclear plant was also mentioned in US President Donald Trump’s remarks about negotiations to end the war.

“The discussion was productive and focused. We addressed key points including energy,” Umerov wrote on social media, shortly after the Riyadh meeting. Before the talks, the minister had already mentioned that the proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure would be on the agenda.

Trump pledges to end the war by Easter

After the meeting, Witkoff promoted Trump’s belief that only the American leader can solve the problem. On Sunday, Trump promised a ceasefire by Easter. This year, in a rare instance, Catholic and Protestant Easter, observed mostly in the West, and Orthodox Easter, observed by both Russians and Ukrainians, falls on the same day: April 20.

“I feel that [Russian President Vladimir Putin] wants peace,” Witkoff told Fox News on Sunday. “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 added.

Zelenskyy on the other hand, presented a less optimistic picture in his evening address on Sunday. While he lauded the talks, calling them " quite useful” and conducted in a “constructive manner,” he insisted that Moscow is the one who is continuing to shell Ukrainian communities and ignoring ceasefire proposals.

“Russia is the only one who is dragging this war out,” Zelensky said. “No matter what we talk about with our partners, we need to push Putin to give a real order to stop the strikes." “The one who brought this war must take it away," he added.

His comments came just moments after Moscow continued to launch relentless strikes on several residential areas around Ukraine, killing several civilians, including children and destroying well more than a hundred private homes.

Discussions between the US & Russia scheduled for Monday

Delegations from the US and Russia will sit down on Monday, to discuss the ceasefire proposal. However, the Kremlin is maintaining a cautious stance over the matter. “We are only at the beginning of this path,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.

Peskov noted that the “main” focus of Russia’s talks with the American delegation would be a possible resumption of a 2022 Black Sea grain deal that ensured safe navigation for Ukrainian farm exports via the Black Sea. “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.

“The potential for mutually beneficial cooperation in a wide variety of spheres between our countries cannot be overstated. We may disagree on some things but that does not mean we should deprive ourselves of mutual benefit,” he added.

With inputs from agencies.