Russian and US experts are set to convene in Riyadh on Monday to discuss the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, a crucial aspect of a potential Ukrainian peace settlement. This meeting comes on the heels of Russian forces’ gains in 2024, which prompted President Donald Trump to reverse US policy on the war. Trump launched bilateral talks with Moscow and suspended military assistance to Ukraine, conditioning it on Ukraine’s efforts to end the conflict.
The upcoming talks will focus on the “Black Sea Initiative,” a concept discussed by Putin and Trump during their telephone conversation on Tuesday. This initiative aims to ensure the safe navigation of merchant vessels in the Black Sea, a critical waterway for grain exports.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, mediated by Turkey and the United Nations, allowed for the safe export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain between July 2022 and July 2023. However, Russia withdrew from the agreement, citing obstacles to its own food and fertilizer exports.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russia fulfilled its conditions under the agreement, but the conditions related to Russia were not met. The White House has announced that the leaders agreed to technical negotiations on implementing a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, as well as a full ceasefire and permanent peace.
Russia will be represented at the talks by Grigory Karasin, a former diplomat and current chair of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergei Beseda, an adviser to the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB). The US delegation’s composition has not been disclosed.
The conflict in Ukraine has had devastating consequences, including hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries, millions displaced, and widespread destruction. The conflict began in 2014 after a Russia-friendly president was toppled in Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution, and Russia annexed Crimea. Russian-backed separatist forces have since been fighting Ukraine’s armed forces in the east.
