United States Strives To Ceasefire In The Black Sea And Stop Violence

United States missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG-78) in the Black Sea. (Source: US Navy Photo via USNI Org)

The United States delegation will seek progress towards the Black Sea ceasefire and a broader cessation of violence in the war in Ukraine, when it meets to negotiate with Russian officials on Monday, after discussions with diplomats from Ukraine on Sunday.

The so-called technical negotiations came as US President Donald Trump intensified his efforts to stop Russia's three-year attack on Ukraine.

Last week, he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sources briefed on the planning of the negotiations said the US delegation was led by Andrew Peek, senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, senior State Department official, quoted by Reuters March 24.

They met with Ukraine on Sunday night and plan to sit with Russia on Monday.

On the other hand, Russia will be represented by Grigory Karasin, a former diplomat who is now chairman of the Federation Council's Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergei Beseda, an adviser to the director of the Federal Security Service.

The White House said the purpose of the negotiations was to reach a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, which allowed free delivery flows.

White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, US, Russian, and Ukrainian delegations gathered at the same facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Beyond the Black Sea ceasefire, he said, the team would discuss a "control line" between the two countries, which he described as "verification measures, peacekeeping, line freezing where they are."

He said "trust-building actions" were being discussed, including the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia.

Earlier, after Russian forces made profits by 2024, President Trump reversed US war-related policies, launched bilateral negotiations with Moscow and suspended military aid to Ukraine, and demanded that Ukraine take steps to end the conflict.

Bloomberg News on Sunday reported that the US hopes to reach a broad ceasefire within weeks, targeting a ceasefire agreement by April 20, citing people familiar with the planning.