An "informed source" said that a joint statement from the United States and Russia would be released Tuesday, March 25. Russia’s Foreign Ministry also confirmed that the negotiations had ended.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said there was no reason to expect any “breakthroughs” from the Riyadh talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, commenting on the series of meetings in Riyadh, reiterated the need to compel Russia to seek an end to the war. He also said he was prepared to back “any strong initiative” that could make diplomacy more effective.
The U.S. delegation was led by White House National Security Council senior director Andrew Peek and State Department official Michael Anton. Representing Russia were Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee head Grigory Karasin and advisor to the director of the Federal Security Service, Sergei Beseda.
Earlier on March 24, Reuters reported that U.S. negotiators were aiming to secure a ceasefire in the Black Sea region to restore freedom of navigation.
In a separate meeting on March 23 in Riyadh, Ukrainian and U.S. officials concluded five hours of negotiations. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, described the talks as “constructive and substantive.”