Russia-US ceasefire talks hit snag over Ukrainian objections
Russia and the United States did not adopt a joint statement after Monday's talks in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, as reported by Reuters on Tuesday, citing Russian parliamentarian Vladimir Chizhov.
Representatives from Russia and the United States engaged in discussions all day Monday regarding a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea.
They blame Ukraine
Vladimir Chizhov attributed the failure to adopt a joint statement to Ukraine. "The fact that they sat for 12 hours and seemed to agree on a joint statement, which however was not adopted due to Ukraine’s position, is also very characteristic and symptomatic," said Chizhov on the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the content of Monday's talks would not be disclosed. "You see, we are talking about technical negotiations that go deep into details. Therefore, of course, the content of these negotiations will definitely not be published. This should not be expected," he said.
Russia is troubled by Ukraine's advantage at sea
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that the Kremlin demands the USA "order" Ukraine to reach an agreement on commercial navigation in the Black Sea. He also stated that Moscow has demanded the lifting of restrictions affecting the trade of Russian grain and fertilizers.
While the export of Russian grain and fertilizers is not directly subject to Western sanctions, barriers remain due to restrictions related to payments, logistics, and insurance, as highlighted by Reuters.
