US, Russia end 12-hour talks on Ukraine ceasefire without agreement

Photo : Reuters

A meeting between the United States and Russia to talk about stopping the war in Ukraine ended after 12 hours in Saudi Arabia on Monday. A report about the meeting will be shared on Tuesday. The meeting happened in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, where US and Russian leaders talked about stopping the fighting in the Black Sea area. Ukrainian leaders were nearby, waiting for their turn to talk. US President Donald Trump wants the war to end soon and hopes this meeting will help bring peace.

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While leaders talked inside a fancy hotel, war continued in Ukraine. A missile attack hit the city of Sumy in the northeast, hurting almost 90 people, including 17 children. The attack damaged homes, a school, and a hospital, as Ukrainian leaders reported. Earlier this month, in another meeting in Jeddah, Ukraine had said yes to a plan from the US to stop fighting for 30 days, but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not agree. This time, Russia and the US also talked about bringing back the Black Sea deal, which earlier allowed Ukraine to send grain to other countries. Russia left the deal in 2023, saying Western countries did not keep their promises about Russian exports.

The Kremlin said that Trump gave a new idea, and Putin agreed to discuss it. Because of this, Russia’s team went to Saudi Arabia. At first, the plan was for Ukraine, Russia, and the US to have talks at the same time, with the US moving between both groups. But instead, the US first met Ukraine and then met Russia. Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, said Sunday’s meeting with the US was helpful and to the point. Trump’s representative, Steve Witkoff, was hopeful and said good progress was being made, especially about stopping attacks in the Black Sea. He also said that once this happens, it could lead to a full stop in fighting.

However, Russia is being careful and does not want to promise too much. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this is just the beginning and that more tough talks will come. When Putin spoke with Trump, he did not agree to stop all fighting for 30 days but said Russia might stop attacking energy sites. Meanwhile, Britain and France also had talks in London about protecting any future peace deal. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have said their countries might send soldiers to Ukraine to help keep the peace. A British leader said that if a deal is made, it must also be protected and defended.