U.S.-Russia negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine will continue on Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a Russian delegation led by senior intelligence officer Sergei Beseda and former diplomat Grigory Karasin, both of whom were involved in the 2014 Ukraine crisis, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed Thursday.
The talks, scheduled to focus on ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea, follow a phone conversation between Ushakov and U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
The White House announced on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to initiate “technical negotiations” on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea. This follows Putin’s decision to implement a 30-day pause in attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Ushakov stated that the Russian side would be represented by Karasin, the chairman of the Federation Council’s international affairs committee, and Beseda, an adviser to the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Karasin, a former deputy foreign minister, was part of the Russian delegation that negotiated ceasefire agreements with Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists in 2015, with France and Germany mediating those talks.
Beseda, a senior intelligence official, is known for his role in Russia’s 2014 actions in Ukraine, including a visit to Kyiv during the pro-democracy protests. While he faced internal issues within Russia’s security apparatus before being reinstated, Beseda remains a key figure in Russian diplomacy and intelligence.
“These are highly experienced negotiators with deep expertise in international relations,” Ushakov noted.
Initially, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had indicated the talks would take place in Jeddah on Sunday, but this was later clarified. On the same day as U.S.-Russia talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian and U.S. officials would also meet separately in Saudi Arabia to discuss progress on a proposed halt to strikes on energy infrastructure by both Russia and Ukraine.
Zelensky explained that discussions would be structured either as separate meetings between Ukraine and the U.S., followed by talks with Russia, or as parallel discussions in the same location. He confirmed that technical teams from Ukraine would be involved as well.
