Kremlin Refuses to Reveal Details of Russia-US Negotiations in Saudi Arabia

The Kremlin has declined to disclose details from 12 hours of negotiations held between Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reports.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that the results of these “technical” discussions are currently under review in both Moscow and Washington. He stated definitively that “the content of these negotiations will definitely not be made public,” adding:

“This should not be expected.”

Peskov’s comments followed a report from Russia’s state-run Tass news agency on Monday, which cited an unnamed member of the Russian delegation as saying that both sides were attempting to reach an agreement on a joint statement.

Separately, US and Ukrainian officials held a second round of talks in Riyadh on Tuesday, following discussions on Sunday that Ukraine’s defense minister, Rustem Umerov, had described as “productive and focused.”

Grigory Karasin, a former Russian deputy foreign minister who co-led the Kremlin’s negotiating team, told Tass earlier on Tuesday that the Russia-US dialogue was challenging yet constructive, covering a wide range of issues. He indicated that talks would continue, involving the United Nations and other countries.

The US had previously indicated that these meetings were a continuation of efforts to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine, which began over three years ago. According to statements from Washington and Moscow, the discussions focused on establishing a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of shipping.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russia’s First Channel TV on Tuesday that Russia favors a Black Sea agreement that is beneficial to all parties. He also stated that guarantees would be required for Russia to resume participation in any such agreement.

Turkey and the United Nations had previously brokered a grain-export deal from Ukrainian Black Sea ports in 2022-2023, which collapsed after Russia withdrew from the agreement.

The Saudi meetings were preceded by separate phone calls last week between US President Donald Trump and both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Agreement was reached on a 30-day truce covering energy infrastructure, though details regarding enforcement and monitoring remained unclear.

Prior to the Saudi talks, White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz suggested that the negotiations could lead to discussions on “the line of control, which is the actual front lines” of the war.