President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Ukrainian and US officials would meet in Saudi Arabia next Monday to make progress on a proposed halt in Russian and Ukrainian strikes on energy facilities.
His announcement came shortly after the Kremlin confirmed that Russian officials would also hold talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
The latest round of talks in Saudi Arabia build on efforts led by US President Donald Trump to secure a speedy end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, now grinding through its fourth year.
"Our technical teams will be there," Zelensky said during a press conference in Norway, referring to meetings between Ukrainian and American representatives.
Zelensky said that there would be separate meetings between Russian and American officials at the same time, with the aim of agreeing on the terms of a ceasefire involving a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure.
President Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier that Moscow would be represented by Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Senate's committee on international affairs, and Sergei Beseda, an advisor to the head of the FSB security service.
Ushakov said he had confirmed this after talks with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Both agreed to send "expert groups" for the talks, he added.
The delegations are due to discuss "initiatives" that Putin and Trump spoke about regarding the Black Sea.
The Russian FSB in 2014 admitted that Beseda was in Kyiv during a bloody crackdown on the Ukrainian capital in the midst of the country's pro-EU revolution.
He has been under Western sanctions since 2014. Karasin is a career diplomat.
With AFP
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