After 12 hours of negotiations, have Russia and the US come to an understanding?
Russian and American technical delegations concluded talks after more than 12 hours in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
According to RIA Novosti, negotiations between the US and Russian "technical delegations" began in closed-door meetings at 10:00 a.m. (Moscow time, or 2:00 p.m. Hanoi time) on March 24 in Riyadh and lasted for more than 12 hours.
Following the meeting, the delegations from both sides did not contact the press after the talks concluded. However, the parties stated that they would issue a joint statement on March 25th.
Representing Russia were Grigory Karasin, head of the International Committee of the Federation Council, and Sergei Beseda, advisor to the Director of the FSB.
According to the Kremlin, the main topic was the Black Sea Initiative, which was discussed during a recent phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Senator Grigory Karasin, a member of the Russian delegation, told RIA Novosti in a telephone interview that the most serious issues are being discussed at talks between Russian and American expert groups in Riyadh. According to him, the talks are in full swing.
When asked if there was any mutual understanding between the parties, the senator replied, "Oh, how could there not be, given how long we've been sitting here talking about the most serious issues? So let's continue this conversation."
He did not say whether expert-level meetings between Russia and the United States were still possible.
Reuters, citing a White House source, reported that talks between the U.S. and delegations from Russia and Ukraine are going very well and a positive statement is expected soon.
