U.S. and Ukrainian officials are engaged in “completely constructive” talks, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, as negotiators continue discussing a possible partial ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
Officials from Washington and Kyiv met in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for a second round of negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s three-year-long war in Ukraine.
The discussions, described by a U.S. official as “technical” rather than high-level, are focused on ironing out the details of a potential ceasefire, including monitoring mechanisms and enforcement measures.
Energy and maritime security are also key topics on the agenda.
Ukraine’s delegation is led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and includes military officers as well as presidential advisers. The U.S. delegation is headed by Andrew Peek from the National Security Council and Michael Anton, the State Department’s head of policy planning.
After speaking to Umerov, Zelenskyy, who is not present at the discussions, wrote on social media platform X: “Our team is working in a completely constructive manner. The conversation is quite useful, the work of the delegations is continuing.
“But no matter what we say to our partners today, we need to get [Vladimir] Putin to give a real order to stop the strikes. Whoever brought this war must take it back.”
He added, “There must be more pressure on Russia to stop this terror. And that depends on all our partners—the U.S., Europe, and others around the world.”
The discussions, described by a U.S. official as “technical” rather than high-level, are focused on ironing out the details of a potential ceasefire, including monitoring mechanisms and enforcement measures.
Energy and maritime security are also key topics on the agenda.
Ukraine’s delegation is led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and includes military officers as well as presidential advisers. The U.S. delegation is headed by Andrew Peek from the National Security Council and Michael Anton, the State Department’s head of policy planning.
After speaking to Umerov, Zelenskyy, who is not present at the discussions, wrote on social media platform X: “Our team is working in a completely constructive manner. The conversation is quite useful, the work of the delegations is continuing.
“But no matter what we say to our partners today, we need to get [Vladimir] Putin to give a real order to stop the strikes. Whoever brought this war must take it back.”
He added, “There must be more pressure on Russia to stop this terror. And that depends on all our partners—the U.S., Europe, and others around the world.”
Last night in Kyiv, tragically, three people were killed by Russian drones, including a father and his five-year-old daughter. Just a day earlier in Zaporizhzhia, a Russian strike took the lives of an entire family—a mother, a father, and their daughter. My condolences to all the… pic.twitter.com/hB6R5yn9gV
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 23, 2025
Sunday’s meeting follows an earlier round of talks in Jeddah, the Saudi capital, on March 11, after which Ukraine agreed to accept a U.S.-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal.
In return, Washington resumed weapons deliveries to Kyiv and restored intelligence-sharing, which had been suspended following tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy.
However, the ceasefire proposal was not backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, in a call with Trump on Tuesday, said he was only willing to temporarily halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Soon afterward, both sides launched aerial strikes targeting each other’s energy facilities, casting doubts on the prospects of a ceasefire holding.
U.S. officials will also hold separate negotiations with their Russian counterparts on Monday.
In return, Washington resumed weapons deliveries to Kyiv and restored intelligence-sharing, which had been suspended following tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy.
However, the ceasefire proposal was not backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, in a call with Trump on Tuesday, said he was only willing to temporarily halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Soon afterward, both sides launched aerial strikes targeting each other’s energy facilities, casting doubts on the prospects of a ceasefire holding.
U.S. officials will also hold separate negotiations with their Russian counterparts on Monday.
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