**Russia and US to Discuss Ukraine War in Riyadh**
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov has announced that Russia and the United States will hold talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 24. The meeting will focus on the war in Ukraine.
Ushakov spoke with Mike Waltz, a national security adviser to President Donald Trump, about an initiative for safe navigation in the Black Sea. This is similar to a previous deal known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukraine to export agricultural products despite Russia’s invasion.
The previous agreement collapsed when Moscow withdrew from it in July 2023. Since then, Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure and civilian vessels. A recent attack on the Odesa port damaged a Panamanian-flagged ship.
**Key Participants**
The Riyadh talks will include Russian officials Grigory Karasin and Sergei Beseda. Beseda previously worked for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), gathering intelligence on Ukraine before the full-scale invasion.
**Previous Talks**
This meeting comes after U.S.-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia and Istanbul last month. The United States and Ukraine held separate talks in Jeddah, where Ukraine proposed a ceasefire at sea but eventually agreed to a 30-day truce pushed by Washington. Putin rejected a full ceasefire in a phone call with Trump but agreed to a temporary pause on energy infrastructure strikes.
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