US, Russia to hold fresh talks on Ukraine war in Jeddah

Washington has confirmed that further discussions with Moscow regarding the Ukraine war will take place in Jeddah on March 23, as diplomatic efforts gain momentum. 

The announcement was made by US envoy Steve Witkoff on March 18, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“The devil is in the details. We’ve got a team going to Saudi Arabia, led by our national security adviser [Mike Waltz] and our secretary of state [Marco Rubio], and I think, you know, we’ve got to figure out those details,” he said.

The decision comes in response to a major shift in US-Russia relations, as Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to halt strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The decision came after a prolonged conversation with former US President Donald Trump, marking a potential shift towards de-escalation. However, the discussion, which took place without direct Ukrainian involvement, raised concerns about possible concessions made to Russia.

A top Russian official, Kirill Dmitriev, hailed the call as “a perfect call,” underlining the Kremlin's satisfaction with the latest shift in US policy. It remains unclear whether Kyiv will endorse the proposed 30-day pause in strikes on energy and infrastructure, as the Ukrainian government had previously agreed to a broader US-proposed ceasefire just last week.

The limited agreement on energy infrastructure strikes represents a compromise, seemingly favouring Russia. While the Ukrainians had backed a more comprehensive cessation of hostilities, this narrower arrangement suggests Putin may have secured a diplomatic advantage. Secret discussions on halting attacks on energy sites had been ongoing since last year but were disrupted following Ukraine’s unexpected recapture of Russian-held territory in August.

Beyond the immediate ceasefire, Trump and Putin also agreed to initiate negotiations on a maritime ceasefire, aiming to establish a full cessation of hostilities and ultimately achieve a lasting peace. However, beyond these concrete steps, the call itself symbolised a remarkable diplomatic gesture from Trump to Putin.

By Aghakazim Guliyev