US plans meeting with Ukraine one day before talks with Russia
3 Min Read
Ahead of the US' meeting with Russian officials in Riyadh on March 14, a round of talks with Ukrainian officials has been scheduled for March 23.
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President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Trump Tower, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York (AP)
A US technical team is set to meet with Ukrainian officials in Riyadh on March 23, one day before their scheduled talks with Russian officials, CBS News reporter Jennifer Jacobs reported, citing sources.
"In Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks, US technical team intends to meet with Ukrainian officials on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ahead of discussions on Monday with the Russians," Jacobs posted on X.
She also noted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz will not be traveling to Saudi Arabia for these discussions.
If progress is made in the talks with the Russian team in Riyadh, the US technical team may meet with the Ukrainian team again later on March 24, Jacobs said.
A previously reported expert-level meeting between Russia and the United States, as confirmed by Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, is set to take place on March 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Russian delegation will include Grigory Karasin, the head of the Federation Council's international committee, and Sergey Beseda, an advisor to the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB). The talks are expected to focus on the Black Sea Initiative.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had previously stated that negotiations were set to resume in Jeddah on Sunday.
Russia-Ukraine land-dividing contract being negotiated: Trump
Meanwhile, Trump said negotiations were underway regarding a potential agreement to resolve the ongoing war in Ukraine, which includes discussions about territorial divisions.
"The contract's being negotiated, the contract in terms of dividing up the lands, etc, etc. It's being negotiated as we speak," Trump told reporters.
He also expressed optimism about the possibility of a full ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia occurring soon, saying, "We're going to pretty soon have a full ceasefire."
In addition, Trump considered that NATO, without the involvement of the United States, would not pose a significant concern to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Without us, NATO is not I can tell you, I've been having very good discussions, as you know, with [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and with President Putin. And President Putin will tell you that without the United States, he wouldn't be worried, but he is worried when the United States is involved," he said.
Momentum has been building in recent weeks toward a ceasefire in the three-year war, as US officials engage in talks with Russian and Ukrainian sides.
Read more: Trump, Zelensky agree on air and sea ceasefire with Russia
