Moscow silent on U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh, blames Ukraine for no joint statement

The Russian propaganda agency TASS quoted Peskov and Lavrov's statements.

According to Peskov, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have received conclusions from the talks between the two countries. They took place on March 24 in Saudi Arabia and lasted 12 hours.

Peskov also said that these talks were of a “technical nature.” He noted that the details and conclusions would not be made public.

The Kremlin spokesman added that contacts between Russia and the United States will continue, but there are no specifics yet.

Regarding plans for the next conversation between Putin and Trump, Peskov said that there are no plans yet, but that they will be quickly agreed upon if necessary.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that during the talks in Riyadh with the United States, the issues of safe navigation in the Black Sea were discussed. He added that the Russian Federation is in favor of resuming the Black Sea initiative “in a form more acceptable to all.” He also said that “Russia will need clear guarantees when resuming the Black Sea initiative, and they can only be the result of an order from Washington to Zelenskyy.”

In addition, Lavrov said that the Russian delegation allegedly told the United States in Riyadh “that Moscow does not recognize any ambiguity regarding the proposals around the Black Sea.” He added that Russia had agreed to all of Erdogan's requests on the Black Sea initiative, “but Kyiv changed its mind at the last minute.”

First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Vladimir Chizhov said on Russia 24 that following the talks, Russia and the United States planned to issue a joint statement, but this was prevented by “Ukraine's position.” Chizhov did not specify what exactly was discussed at the talks and what did not suit the Ukrainian side.

What preceded it

On March 23, Ukrainian and American delegations met in Saudi Arabia. In particular, the parties discussed the security of energy and infrastructure facilities.

The next day, the U.S. and Russian delegations met there. The purpose of the talks was to reach a naval truce in the Black Sea. At the same time, the meeting discussed possible demarcation lines in Ukraine. 

On Tuesday, March 25, a new round of talks between the Ukrainian and American delegations began in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.