U.S., Russia hold 12-hour talks on Ukraine ceasefire

In Saudi Arabia on Monday.

U.S. efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia continue and a statement on talks between Washington and Moscow is scheduled to be shared on Tuesday.

Our Park Joon-han has the latest.

The meeting in Saudi Arabia between U.S. and Russian officials on Monday ended after over 12 hours, with a draft joint statement.

An official joint statement is expected to be released on Tuesday, which a White House source said would be a "positive" one.

Among other issues, the White House said the initial aim of the Saudi talks was to secure a maritime truce in the Black Sea, as it was President Trump's efforts to end the three-year-old war.

Security Adviser Mike Waltz also mentioned discussions for a so-called "line of control" between Ukraine and Russia, which he described as "verification measures, peacekeeping, freezing the lines where they are".

The talks, aimed at establishing a partial ceasefire in Ukraine were held behind closed doors in Riyadh and focused on implementing a limited 30-day pause in attacks.

While all parties acknowledged the importance of reducing hostilities, disagreements emerged, particularly about which targets should not be attacked.

The White House referred more broadly to "energy and infrastructure" while Russia was more narrow in its reference to "energy infrastructure."

Ukraine wanted to also see other infrastructure like railways and ports protected.

Discussions also touched on halting Black Sea attacks to safeguard commercial shipping routes.

Meanwhile, on Monday, even as the meeting for a peace deal was underway in Saudi Arabia, Russian forces launched a missile strike in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine, which injured almost 90 people, including 17 children.

Ukraine's foreign minister criticized Moscow for making hollow statements of peace despite brutal strikes on Ukrainian cities, adding that Russia must stop bombing civilians.

According to Ukraine's national broadcaster Suspilne, Ukrainian and U.S. delegations will meet on Tuesday for talks.

Park Jun-han, Arirang News.