US-Russia talks in Jeddah to address Black Sea shipping

The next talks between the US and Russia may happen in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday or early next week. The Kremlin announced this, stating that both countries will discuss a truce concerning Ukraine and safe shipping in the Black Sea. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned that the details of the meeting are still being finalized. US President Donald Trump recently spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the situation. In addition to peace efforts for Ukraine, the talks will cover the “Black Sea Initiative.” This initiative is important for safe grain exports from Ukraine, which were facilitated by Turkey and the UN last year. Russia had left the agreement recently, claiming its own export conditions were not met. The White House stated that during the call between Trump and Putin, they discussed plans for a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea. Although there are risks in shipping grain from this region, a recent World Bank report showed both Russia and Ukraine are still managing to send grain to markets. It remains unclear if US officials will meet with both Ukrainian and Russian teams on the same day. Talks could also potentially involve face-to-face discussions among all three parties. Meanwhile, Russia has rejected a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, agreeing only to a temporary halt in military strikes on energy infrastructure. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since 2022, causing significant casualties and a humanitarian crisis.