US and Russia Begin Talks in Saudi Arabia on Ukraine Ceasefire

US and Russian officials have begun talks in Saudi Arabia as Donald Trump pushes to broker a limited ceasefire that Washington hopes will mark the first step towards lasting peace in Ukraine.

- Pjotr Sauer

Ukraine and Russia have agreed in principle to a one-month halt on strikes on energy infrastructure after Trump spoke with the countries' leaders last week. But uncertainty remains over how and when the partial ceasefire will take effect – and whether its scope will extend beyond energy infrastructure to include other critical sites such as hospitals, bridges and utilities.

US officials held initial talks with Ukraine on Sunday evening and negotiated with Russia yesterday, with most meetings taking place at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh. The US is expected to shuttle between the two countries to finalize details and negotiate measures to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea.

"The ultimate goal is a 30-day ceasefire, during which time we discuss a permanent ceasefire. We're not far away from that," said the US special envoy Steve Witkoff in a podcast with the far-right commentator Tucker Carlson at the weekend.

Moscow, meanwhile, appears to be exploiting the window before any ceasefire takes hold, launching mass drone attacks on Ukraine yesterday. Ukrainian officials said a Russian missile had also damaged a school and a hospital in Ukraine's north-eastern city of Sumy, wounding at least 74 people including 13 children.