Russia Calls U.S. Talks on Limited Ukraine Ceasefire “Very Useful” but Withholds Details
A long-anticipated joint statement from U.S. and Russian officials following ceasefire negotiations in Saudi Arabia failed to materialize as expected early Tuesday morning. Sources had indicated that Washington and Moscow planned to release the statement at 4 a.m. EST (11 a.m. Moscow time), but the deadline passed without any word from American officials.
While details of the potential agreement remained unclear, reports from the U.S. technical team in Riyadh had expressed optimism to the Trump administration, sources told CBS News.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian officials were still assessing the information relayed from negotiators in Saudi Arabia.
“The content of the technical negotiations will definitely not be ‘published.’ This should not be expected,” Peskov said, describing the discussions as “negotiations with a deep dive into details.”
He added that Russian authorities were analyzing the reports provided by their delegation and would only comment on possible agreements once the review was complete.

Russia: Talks Were “Useful” But Complex
Russian negotiator Grigory Karasin told state-run TASS news agency that discussions with the U.S. would continue and that Moscow aimed to involve the United Nations and other countries in the process.
“We talked about everything, it was an intense dialogue, not easy, but very useful for us and the Americans,” Karasin stated, noting that “lots of problems were discussed” during the 12-hour meeting at a luxury hotel in Riyadh.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials were also briefed on the U.S.-Russia negotiations. According to AFP, a Ukrainian source confirmed that American and Ukrainian representatives held separate talks in Riyadh on Tuesday.
“The talks are over. All details will be announced later,” the source told a small group of media, including AFP.
A previous Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the U.N. and Turkey, had allowed for maritime shipments from Ukraine and Russia before Moscow withdrew from the agreement in 2023. The recent discussions aimed at restoring a similar framework.
Ceasefire Talks Move in Stages
Senior U.S. officials attending the negotiations included State Department representative Michael Anton and White House National Security Council member Andrew Peek.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz outlined the phased approach to ceasefire discussions during an appearance on Face The Nation with Margaret Brennan.
He confirmed that an “aerial infrastructure” ceasefire took effect immediately following former President Donald Trump’s recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The next priority, he said, was securing a maritime ceasefire to allow shipments of grain, fuel, and other goods.
“And then we’ll talk the line of control, which is the actual front lines, and that gets into the details of verification mechanisms, peacekeeping, freezing the lines where they are. And then, of course, the broader and permanent peace,” Waltz explained.
Despite the diplomatic efforts, both Ukraine and Russia have continued launching attacks against each other.