Gaps In US, Russian Expectations As Ukraine Peace Deal Talks Begin In Saudi

US and Ukrainian officials met in Saudi Arabia on Sunday night for "productive and focused" talks on de-escalating the war with Russia, with Washington hoping for "real progress" even as Moscow --  whose delegation was set to hold its own separate discussions with the Americans on Monday-- warned of "difficult negotiations" ahead. 

The White House is reportedly pushing for a broad ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine by April 20 which this year is Easter in both the Western and Orthodox churches. However, according to a Bloomberg report, the timeline may slip given the wide gap that exists between Kyiv and Moscow's positions.

US President Donald Trump has been aiming for a quick resolution to the three-year-old war, for which US officials are holding separate talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Riyadh for the first such parallel negotiations since the early weeks of Moscow's invasion. 

The negotiations were originally scheduled to take place simultaneously to enable shuttle diplomacy, but with both warring sides proposing different plans for a temporary truce, attacks have continued unabated. America is hoping that going back and forth between the delegations can pave the way to a breakthrough.

US-Ukraine Talks

The meeting between the Ukrainian team, led by defence minister Rustem Umerov, and the Americans finished late Sunday night. "The discussion was productive and focused -- we addressed key points including energy," Umerov said on social media, adding Ukraine was working to make its goal of a "just and lasting peace" a reality.

Ukraine had previously said proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure would be on the agenda.

In an evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "Russia is the only one who is dragging this war out".

"No matter what we talk about with our partners, we need to push Putin to give a real order to stop the strikes: the one who brought this war must take it away," he said.

Zelensky also urged his country's allies to put fresh pressure on Russia. "New decisions and new pressure on Moscow are needed to bring an end to these strikes and this war," he posted on social media on Sunday.

US-Russia Negotiations

Discussions between the United States and Russia were set for Monday, with Russian state media reporting Moscow's delegation had arrived in Riyadh on Sunday. 

Amid this, American envoy Steve Witkoff voiced optimism that any agreement struck would pave the way to a "full-on" ceasefire.

"I think you're going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that you'll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire," he told Fox News.

But the Kremlin on Sunday downplayed expectations of a rapid resolution, saying talks were just beginning. "We are only at the beginning of this path," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.

He said there were many outstanding questions over how a potential ceasefire might be implemented.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian call for a full and immediate 30-day pause, proposing instead a halt in attacks only on energy facilities. "There are difficult negotiations ahead," Peskov said in the interview, published on social media.

Moscow heads into the Saudi talks after a rapprochement with Washington under Trump that has boosted confidence in the Kremlin.

Peskov said on Sunday that the "potential for mutually beneficial cooperation in a wide variety of spheres between our countries cannot be overstated".

"We may disagree on some things but that does not mean we should deprive ourselves of mutual benefit," he added.

Moscow's Black Sea Agenda

Moscow has said the "main" focus in its talks with the US would be a possible resumption of a 2022 Black Sea grain deal that ensured safe navigation for Ukrainian farm exports via the Black Sea. "On Monday, we mainly intend to discuss President Putin's agreement to resume the so-called Black Sea initiative, and our negotiators will be ready to discuss the nuances around this problem," Peskov said.

Moscow pulled out of the deal -- brokered by Turkey and the United Nations -- in 2023, accusing the West of failing to uphold its commitments to ease sanctions on Russia's own exports of farm produce and fertilisers.

A senior Ukrainian official previously told news agency AFP that Kyiv would propose a broader ceasefire, covering attacks on energy facilities, infrastructure and naval strikes.

Drone Strikes Before Talks

Both sides launched fresh drone attacks on the eve of the negotiations. Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack killed three civilians in Kyiv, including a five-year-old girl and her father.

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 147 drones at the country in the latest barrage.

Russia meanwhile said it had repelled nearly 60 Ukrainian drones overnight. Officials said one man was killed in the southern Rostov region of Russia when his car was set alight by falling drone debris, and a woman was killed in the Belgorod border region, also by a drone attack.

Ukraine's army, meanwhile, said it had captured a small village in its eastern Lugansk region, a rare battlefield success for Kyiv's struggling forces.