Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 30
AFP: No deal emerged today from Washington’s talks with both Kyiv and Moscow in Saudi Arabia on any ceasefire after three years of fighting, with Russia demanding that the US “order” Kyiv to enter a new deal on the Black Sea.
US President Donald Trump is pushing for a rapid end to Russia’s invasion and had hoped the latest round of talks in Saudi Arabia would pave the way for a truce.
Kyiv held a brief second round of talks with US officials yesterday, a day after hours of US- Russia negotiations ended without breakthroughs announced.
Ukraine earlier this month agreed to a US-proposed unconditional ceasefire, but Russia turned it down, with Kyiv accusing it of wanting to gain more battlefield advantage first.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave no sign that Moscow was closer to agreeing to a wider ceasefire, instead calling for a new Black Sea deal more beneficial for Russian exports.
“We are, as the president said, for restarting in some kind of form, in a more acceptable way for everyone, the Black Sea Initiative,” Lavrov said. He added that Russia does not want “anybody to try to push us out” of the grain and fertiliser market.
Lavrov called on the US to “order (Ukrainian leader Volodymyr) Zelensky and his team” to enter such a deal.
He accused Western countries of trying to “contain” Russia like “Napoleon and Hitler.”
Ukraine has not yet commented on the outcome of its talks.
A source in the Ukrainian delegation told a small group of media including AFP earlier yesterday that a second round of negotiations had ended shortly after they had begun.
Lavrov’s statements came after 12 hours of talks Monday between the Russian and American delegations.
