Ukraine war latest: US-Russian talks ‘in full swing’ and focused on Black Sea ceasefire – as Kremlin confirms Putin’s gift to Trump

As Russian and US officials hold talks in Saudi Arabia, Vladimir Putin has been hosting the governor of Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratyev.

The southern region has been in focus in recent days as Ukraine’s forces target its oil depots with drone attacks (see more in our 10.46am post).

“There was a time when the diplomatic roads ran through the obvious places; Washington, London, Brussels, Berlin, Paris. Now, it’s Florida and Saudi Arabia.”

That’s what US correspondent Mark Stone had to say last month about the emergence of the Saudis as the key global power broker.

The kingdom has hosted all four rounds of peace talks on the war in Ukraine so far, but how has the Middle East nation become the de facto host for talks on a European war? 

There are several factors behind it.

What’s in it for Saudi?

Simply put, hosting peace talks to end the war in Ukraine gives Saudi Arabia the chance to boost its profile on the international stage.

The kingdom’s public image reached a nadir after the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

The Gulf state has since sought to alter global perception and grow its soft power through different means, including by buying into big-money sports events – which critics say is an attempt to “sportswash” the kingdom’s poor human rights record.

Riyadh and Jeddah have hosted huge, high-stakes bouts in the world boxing, including title fights for Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. The country will also host the 2029 Winter Olympics and 2034 FIFA World Cup.

The country has also boosted its global standing in the diplomatic sphere.

Saudi has reached an understanding with Iran, hosted Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an Arab League summit and been involved in talks over wars in Sudan and Gaza.

Why did the US and Russia pick Saudi?

Trump described Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a “fantastic guy” in January, with Riyadh announcing its intention to invest $600bn over the next four years.

The US president wants that to rise to £1trn and said he will ask Saudi to lower oil prices.

For Moscow, Riyadh has managed to maintain Russian ties through the OPEC+ oil cartel even as Western nations applied sanctions on the Kremlin.

Saudi has been involved in mediation over the Ukraine war before, helping to secure a prisoner swap in 2022, with 215 Ukrainians – most of whom were captured after the fall of Mariupol – returned.

Saudi privacy

Moreover, Saudi Arabia’s autocratic government, compliant media and distance from the war allows for talks to take place in a tightly-controlled country.

That means discussions can continue in relative privacy – handing the kingdom yet another chance to trumpet itself as a neutral territory for high-stakes negotiations.

Watch: Saudi Arabia – the new world peace brokers?

Talks in Saudi between the US and Russia are in “full swing”, one of Moscow’s delegates has said.

Speaking to Russian state media, Grigory Karasin, chair of Moscow’s foreign affairs committee, said he was having “interesting discussions on quite pressing subjects” with his US counterparts. 

“I’d say that the negotiations are going on creatively.”

Asked whether he expected the parties to reach any agreements, Karasin said: “Not all negotiations necessarily yield some major documents and agreements. 

“It’s important to maintain contact all the time and understand each other’s standpoint. That’s what we’ve managed to do.”

Talks between the US and Russia today are centred on the prospect of a maritime ceasefire. 

While recent battlefield reports rarely mention what’s going on in the Black Sea, it is the site of some of the most famous moments of the war. 

It’s a key sea for Russia to control, given it can resupply forces in occupied Crimea, fire on Kyiv’s forces from the water and control Ukrainian commercial shipping. 

In this post, we take a look at some of the key events on the naval front… 

In an earlier post, we explored what the Black Sea grain deal was…

Last year, in just over two years of war, Ukraine claimed to have sunk a third of Russia’s warships in a heavy blow to Moscow’s military capability.

Just a couple of months into the war, Ukraine sunk Russia’s Black Sea fleet flagship, the Moskva, in a highly embarrassing loss for Putin. 

Ukraine has also struck bases on the Black Sea in annexed Crimea…

…as well as claiming to sink a submarine in August last year…

And as recently as December, two Russian tankers were wrecked in the Black Sea because of stormy weather, spilling more than 4,000 tonnes of oil.

Russia’s defence ministry says it downed 227 Ukrainian drones launched at the country on the eve of talks between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia – a significantly larger number than usually launched by Kyiv.

It follows Kyiv launching its biggest ever drone attack against Russia the night before US and Ukrainian delegations met for peace talks in Jeddah last month, with Russia reporting it had shot down 343 drones over various parts of the country.

Analysts believed one reason for the timing of the attack was to remind Moscow and Washington that Ukraine still has cards to play in the war, after accusations to the contrary from Donald Trump.

Moscow has accused Kyiv of attempting to strike an oil pumping station in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region.

The defence ministry said a drone was downed near the Kropotkinskaya station today.

Vladimir Putin agreed in a call with Donald Trump last week to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days. 

Kyiv said it would need to sign a formal document to suspend its own attacks, which has not happened yet.

This comes as firefighters continue to battle a blaze at another oil depot in Krasnodar after a reported Ukrainian strike there last week.

Use the slider below to see smoke billowing from the Kavkazskaya station before and after the attack: