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Ukrainian delegation to stay extra day in Saudi Arabia for continued talks with US, official says

by Volodymyr Ivanyshyn March 25, 2025 4:55 AM 2 min read
A view of the Ritz-Carlton hotel where U.S. teams held talks with Ukrainian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 23, 2025. (Fayez Nureldine / AFP via Getty Images)
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Ukrainian officials remained in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia following their initial meeting with a U.S. delegation on March 23, an unnamed delegation official told the news outlet Suspilne on March 24.

Russian and U.S. delegations met in Saudi Arabia on March 24 following Ukraine's meeting with the U.S. a day earlier. Ukrainian and U.S. officials were reportedly expected to meet again depending on the outcome of the talks with Russia.

Another meeting has been scheduled between the Ukrainian and U.S. delegations, the official said.

Initially, the U.S. planned to hold talks with both Ukraine and Russia on the same day.  President Volodymyr Zelensky later said the meeting would take place on March 23, the day before.

The U.S.-Ukraine talks include discussions on territories, demarcation lines, and control of Ukraine's power plant, U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 24.

The teams also discussed a possible ceasefire over attacks on seaports.

"The discussion concerned a mutual ceasefire: we won't attack their (Russian) facilities at sea and rivers, and they won't attack our facilities, our Kherson and Mykolaiv ports, the greater Odesa ports," Presidential Office Advisor Serhii Leshchenko said on March 24.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, said the discussions included military, diplomatic, and energy representatives.

"The conversation was constructive and meaningful — we discussed key issues, including in the energy sector," Umerov wrote on Facebook.

The talks between Russia and the U.S. the following day lasted 12-hours. Journalists were asked to leave the hotel before the closed-door negotiations, Suspilne reported.

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