Moscow: Russia has selected its negotiators for talks with the US due to be held in Saudi Arabia on Monday to discuss the possible implementation of a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
The Russian negotiating team will be led by career diplomat Grigory Karasin and government agent Sergey Beseda, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
The talks in Riyadh, initially expected for Sunday, is set to focus on a US proposal to protect shipping in the Black Sea by implementing a limited ceasefire.
Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed hope for productive negotiations, according to the Interfax news agency. Ukraine has not been invited to the meeting, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that US representatives are to hold separate talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on Monday before talking to the Russian side.
Russia exited a previous agreement brokered by Turkey to allow for Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea.
Ukraine has since continued to ship grain via the Black Sea without any security guarantees for the vessels.
Karasin, a 75-year-old senator, is the head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of parliament. Beseda, 70, works as an advisor to the domestic secret service FSB and is considered a close confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (DPA)
