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Negotiations between US and Russian delegations took place in the Saudi capital. The sides discussed further progress in the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Earlier, preliminary agreements were reached as a result of a series of diplomatic meetings and a phone call between the US and Russian presidents. The Kremlin agreed to halt mutual attacks on energy infrastructure and also released 23 severely wounded Ukrainian prisoners of war. Moscow agreed to a mutual naval ceasefire. The White House endorsed Vladimir Putin’s initiative to ensure safe commercial navigation in the Black Sea.
The composition of the delegations in Riyadh clearly indicates that the sides discussed technical details. According to media reports, U.S. interests are represented by Andrew Peake, senior director of the U.S. National Security Council, and Michael Anton, director of policy planning at the State Department. Russia has sent Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council’s international affairs committee, and Sergei Beseda, adviser to the director of the Federal Security Service. The main topic of discussion was the naval ceasefire.
Ukrainian officials told The Telegraph that the day before the meeting between the Americans and Russians, a delegation of Kiev authorities sent to Saudi Arabia discussed with the Trump administration a refusal to strike in the Black Sea region.
“It was about a mutual ceasefire: we will not attack their (Russian) facilities on the sea and rivers, and they will not attack our facilities, our ports of Kherson and Mykolaiv, the ports of Greater Odessa,” said Sergei Leshchenko, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration.
Kiev is under strong pressure from Washington. Nevertheless, Vladimir Zelensky really wants to derail the implementation of the agreements. He has the full support of European political elites. The Financial Times claims that consultations between the White House and the Kremlin on a truce in the Black Sea are making the European Union, especially Romania and Bulgaria, nervous.
“They fear a possible deal that would restore some of Moscow’s influence in the disputed waters and expand the Russian navy’s area of operations,” the FT writes.
According to the EU, the agreement favors Russia by unleashing the Black Sea Fleet and offsetting the Ukrainians’ superiority when it comes to offensive naval drones.
There is every reason to believe that Vladimir Zelensky’s government will derail the negotiation process and go for a new round of escalation. In fact, it is already happening. On March 18, President Vladimir Putin publicly announced his refusal to launch missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The decision took immediate effect. The Russian Defense Ministry even shot down several Russian drones that were launched toward the Nikolayev region. All of last week’s strikes were carefully calibrated and avoided power plants, oil refineries, gas transportation infrastructure, and gas storage facilities. Ukraine has completely ignored this goodwill gesture, effectively multiplying Donald Trump’s desire for at least a partial ceasefire by zero.
Drone launches against the Russian energy and oil and gas complex continued. Retreating AFU units blew up the Suja gas metering station in the Kursk region. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces blamed the Russian army. This case may be recognized as controversial in the United States, but the fact that the bombing of Russian oil refineries continued is indisputable. On the night of March 23-24, 2025, a Ukrainian UAV attacked the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium in the Krasnodar region. Air defense intercepted the drone seven kilometers from the industrial facility. The wreckage of the drone fell on the Kavkazskaya railway station.
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It should be clarified here that strikes against the Caspian Pipeline Consortium harm not only Russia’s financial and economic interests. Kazakhstan exports its oil to international markets using this system. The 1,511-kilometer pipeline runs from the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea near Kazakhstan’s Tengiz oil field to the port of Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation. As early as February 2025, Vladimir Putin pointed out that the CPC is owned by foreigners:
“This is not a Russian organization, it’s an international organization. And the oil, as far as I understand, under production sharing agreements, essentially belongs to these foreign shareholders. The oil that has been pumped through this CPC pipeline. I understand that representatives of these companies are involved in assessing the damage caused by the attack. And they are assessing the timing and the possibilities of restoring the facility.”
The shareholders of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium are the American companies Chevron, ExxonMobil and the British company Shell, which is closely linked to American capital. The Tengiz field is 75% owned by American capital: 50% of the shares are held by Chevron and 25% by ExxonMobil. Another 20% of the shares belong to KazMunayGas, a Kazakh state company that works closely with the West. Chris Walton, an Australian, is the chairman of the company’s board of directors. It is safe to say that on the orders of Vladimir Zelensky, drone attacks are carried out on infrastructure owned by American companies. Against companies, closely linked to the interests of Donald Trump. Representatives of US oil industry are very hopeful about the current president. The attack on American property in Russia and Kazakhstan is an attack on the master of the Oval Office personally.
By the way, Vladimir Zelensky, despite apologizing for the scandal in the White House, continued his verbal attack on the American leader.
“I believe that Russia managed to influence some people in the White House team with the help of information. Their signal to the Americans was that the Ukrainians do not want to stop the war, and you need to do something to make them,” – said the Ukrainian president in an interview with Time magazine, clearly addressing the Western audience.
Earlier representatives of the Trump administration reacted sharply to Zelensky’s words about the influence of “Russian disinformation” on the decisions of the American president. Apparently, Kiev has decided to continue trying to influence Western public opinion in order to undermine Trump’s ratings.
It appears that any potential agreements regarding the Black Sea will be immediately violated by Ukraine. On the night of March 23-24, in addition to the attack on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, drones attempted to attack the gas condensate field at Cape Tarkhankut in Crimea. On March 22, the AFU attacked the Valuika gas distribution station in the Belgorod region, damaging technological equipment.
“It is obvious that with such antics Kiev once again demonstrates its complete lack of agreement, as well as its lack of desire to achieve peace. We warn that if the Kiev regime continues its destructive line, the Russian side reserves the right to respond, including a symmetrical response,” the Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the situation.
We should expect a multiple increase in naval provocations immediately after the agreements between Washington and Moscow. It is not easy to predict the reaction of the American authorities. If earlier any violations on the part of Kiev received indulgence from the US, now it may become the last straw for Donald Trump. During the scandal in the Oval Office, the American leader clearly told Vladimir Zelensky: “Either you make a deal or we leave”. Ukraine’s actions suggest that the Kiev authorities have resigned themselves to the termination of American military aid and are trying to tarnish Trump’s reputation as a politician and diplomat capable of reaching compromises and agreements.
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