Second round of US-Russia talks on Ukraine expected in April

A second round of US-Russia consultations on Ukraine is expected to take place in Riyadh in mid-April, although the precise date for the meeting remains unknown.

The source told Russian news agency that, "technical consultations between Russia and the United States will continue, although organisational matters concerning the next round of talks have yet to be addressed," Caliber.Az reports.

Notably, on March 24, representatives from Russia and the US met in Riyadh to discuss the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The Russian delegation was led by Grigory Karasin,  Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Sergey Beseda, Advisor to the Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB). The US delegation included Andrew Peek, Senior Director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council, and Michael Anton, Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State.

The following day, both the White House and the Kremlin issued statements regarding the outcomes of the talks. Both parties agreed to ensure the safety of shipping and non-use of force in the Black Sea.

The US committed to "facilitating the restoration of Russian agricultural exports and fertiliser access to the global market, reducing the cost of maritime insurance, and expanding access to ports and payment systems for such transactions."

The Kremlin’s statement specifically emphasised that the agreements would take effect only after the fulfilment of Russia’s obligations under the grain deal, which includes the lifting of sanctions on Rosselkhozbank and Russian producers, the removal of restrictions on servicing Russian ships carrying foodstuffs in ports, and permission for the supply of agricultural machinery to Russia. The White House statement did not mention these conditions.

By Aghakazim Guliyev