March 24 (UPI) — Talks over Russia’s war with Ukraine started again Monday, even as the two countries continue to attack each other.
Negotiators from Russia and the United States once again met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with an announced goal of a partial cease-fire. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said of the talks that, “There are still many aspects related to the settlement which are to be worked out,” while American delegates said they hoped for “real progress.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian missile strike Monday damaged several buildings and a school in the city of Sumy. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal posted to X that Russia attacked the city’s “civilian infrastructure,” which caused damage to “residential and private houses,” and that “there are casualties, including children.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Sunday that three people, “including a father and his 5-year-old daughter,” were killed by a Russian drone attack on the city of Kyiv, and that an attack on the city of Zaporizhia Saturday killed a family of three.
Meanwhile, Ukraine launched a drone attack Monday against an oil pumping station in the Russian city Krasnodar.
Russia and Ukraine had both agreed to a temporary stop last week on attacks on energy infrastructure.
Americans had met with Ukrainian delegates in Riyadh Sunday before Monday’s meetings with Russian representatives. Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov led the delegation and posted to X that, “The discussion was productive and focused,” and that “key points including energy” were discussed.
Peskov said Monday’s talks would focus on shipping, and the restoration of a 2022 deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain. Russia withdrew from that arrangement in 2023, allegedly because Western sanctions had limited its own ability to export agricultural products.
President Donald Trump’s personal envoy Steven Witkoff has said the ultimate goal of the talks is to arrange a full 30-day cease fire that would allow for the negotiation of a permanent truce.
