Long way to go

No joint statement was issued, but what was achieved from the US-Russia and US-Ukraine talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, continues to open up hope of bringing the situation in Ukraine closer to peace.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel - where the negotiations between Russia-US and Ukraine-US took place. (Source: Reuters)

Before meeting the Russian delegation, the US side had a five-hour exchange with the Ukrainian delegation at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on March 23. Then, on March 25, US and Ukrainian representatives continued to meet after the US-Russia negotiations ended on March 24.

The US delegation this time was led by Mr. Andrew Peek - Senior Director at the National Security Council and Mr. Michael Anton - Senior Official of the US State Department. The Ukrainian delegation included Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Deputy Director of the President's Office Pavel Palisa and representatives of the energy sector.

Meanwhile, Russia sent Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of Russia (Senate) Grigory Karasin and Advisor to the Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Sergey Beseda.

"First Steps"

According to The Kyiv Independent, the US-Ukraine talks on March 23 were considered “effective and focused”. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said the two sides discussed important issues such as ensuring the implementation of the temporary ceasefire and protecting energy infrastructure from attacks.

However, last week, Moscow rejected US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, accepting only a temporary halt to attacks on energy infrastructure. The Kremlin insisted that President Vladimir Putin was ready to discuss peace but that Ukraine must abandon its territorial claims and ambitions to join NATO.

On March 24, negotiations between the US and Russia took place at the same location. According to information from the Kremlin and the White House, the two sides discussed for more than 12 hours, focusing on issues such as ending attacks on ships in the Black Sea, restoring the grain deal brokered by Turkey in 2022 but then Russia withdrew because some of Moscow's demands were not met: not attacking energy facilities such as nuclear power plants, oil refineries, oil and gas pipelines, power plants, transformer stations, hydroelectric dams... In addition, the two sides also discussed a number of other issues regarding territory and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

After the meeting, Head of the Russian Negotiation Delegation Grigory Karasin commented that this was a detailed, complex but useful meeting. The Russian delegation representative affirmed that the two sides will continue to maintain negotiations to find a way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine with the participation of the United Nations and a number of other countries.

Meanwhile, according to the White House statement, the two sides agreed to ensure maritime safety, eliminate the use of force and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea. The US will help restore Russia's access to world markets for agricultural and fertilizer exports, reduce the cost of marine insurance and improve access to ports and payment systems.

The United States and Russia agreed to develop measures to implement the agreement between President Trump and President Putin to cease attacks on Russian and Ukrainian energy facilities. The United States and Russia welcome assistance from third countries to support the implementation of the energy and maritime agreements. The United States and Russia continue to work toward the goal of achieving lasting and sustainable peace.

On the Ukrainian side, at a press conference in Kiev on March 25, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine and Russia agreed to stop using force in the Black Sea. However, he said the agreement was “not very detailed” and “these are the first steps.”

Negotiations toward a lasting, sustainable peace in Ukraine still require much diplomatic effort. (Source: NPR).

Open up hope

Before the talks, the US, Russia and Ukraine were well aware that a breakthrough would be difficult to achieve due to the divergent views and interests of the parties. According to Al Jazeera, Russia demanded that any ceasefire agreement be accompanied by the lifting of sanctions against Moscow, demanding that Ukraine accept conditions, including recognizing Moscow's sovereignty over Crimea and other territories under Russian control.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has maintained its uncompromising stance on territory and demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from areas it controls. For the US, the main goal is to end the conflict in Ukraine as President Donald Trump has stated, find a solution to prevent the conflict from escalating and move towards a comprehensive ceasefire.

“One should not expect any agreement to be reached,” said Serhii Leshchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian President’s Office, stressing that negotiations often take months. Grigory Karasin, a representative of the Russian delegation, said that not all negotiations lead to an important document or an agreement. According to him, the important thing is to maintain contact and understand each other’s positions.

The talks in Saudi Arabia did not produce a major breakthrough, but they at least showed that all three sides are still willing to talk. This keeps the door open for further talks and sends a positive signal to the international community. However, achieving a lasting peace will require more than temporary commitments. What happened in Saudi Arabia shows that peace is not impossible, but it will take a lot of diplomatic effort to make it happen.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dam-phan-hoa-binh-ukraine-buoc-tien-tren-chang-duong-dai-309002.html