A US delegation is currently in Saudi Arabia negotiating a partial ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. The negotiations, which started on Monday morning, follow discussions between US and Ukrainian negotiators, as reported by Russian media. The talks aim to secure a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea to allow for the free flow of shipping, as stated by the White House.

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said the talks would also cover “the line of control” between the two countries and “confidence-building measures” including the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia. He stated that the talks would discuss verification measures and peacekeeping aimed at freezing the current conflict lines.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff, leading the negotiations, dismissed UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s plans as a “combination of a posture and a pose,” calling for a “coalition of the willing” made up of several European and NATO countries to provide boots on the ground in Ukraine after a ceasefire. He accused Starmer of adopting the “simplistic” notion that leaders should be like Winston Churchill, stating that Putin wants peace and that European fears of further Russian invasions are “preposterous.”

Russia launched its third consecutive overnight attack on Kyiv, wounding one person and damaging houses in the region, according to the city’s governor. The Ukrainian air force managed to shoot down 57 out of 99 drones. Drone attacks struck the Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa and Donetsk regions, as well as the capital, killing at least seven people in the country on Saturday night.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-ceasefire-talks-begin-in-saudi-as-russia-continues-attacks-13334818