US strikes upbeat tone as latest Ukraine talks begin

US and Ukrainian officials met yesterday for talks over a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine, with Washington signalling its hope for "real progress" even as Moscow warned that "difficult negotiations" lie ahead.

- Ashifa Kassam

The gulf in expectations marked the start of the latest round of negotiations in Saudi Arabia, which is due to be followed by a meeting between US and Russia today. The US is pushing for a broad ceasefire by 20 April, according to Bloomberg, though sources said the timeline may slip given the wide gap between Kyiv and Moscow's positions.

Yesterday the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, appeared upbeat about working with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. "I feel that he wants peace," he told Fox News.

This week's talks are expected to delve into the details of implementing the 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure, and potentially expand into shipping in the Black Sea.

The White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, yesterday said that the US was also talking through confidence-building measures, including the future of Ukrainian children taken into Russia.

Moscow, however, said "difficult negotiations" lie ahead. "We are only at the beginning of this path," the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV yesterday.