US push for Black Sea ceasefire in Saudi talks with Russia
These images show the main celebrations in St. Petersburg as Russia held its Navy Day parades on Sunday (31July2022). President Vladimir Putin attended the event in St. Petersburg, which also took place at the nearby naval base at Kronstadt. After inspecting Russia’s Baltic fleet, Putin made a short speech in which he announced his country’s navy would receive hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles in months. The missiles can apparently travel at nine times the speed of sound. He also signed a new 55-page naval doctrine, outlining its ambitions to assert itself as a “great maritime power” across the world. More than 40 ships, cutters, and submarines, as well as 42 aircraft and more than 3,500 troops took part in the parade. The vessels that took part in the parade on the Neva river in St. Petersburg included the counterterror boats P-468, Vladimir Nosov and Nakhimovets, the landing boats Ivan Pasko and D-67, Raptor-class patrol boats, the base minesweeper Pavel Khenov and the ocean minesweeper Aleksandr Obukhov, the missile boat Chuvashiya, the guided missile corvettes Zelyony Dol and Odintsovo, and the patrol boats of Mangust, M14 and Marlin 900 classes. Taking part in the parade in Kronstadt were the missile cruiser Dimitrovgrad, the guided missile corvettes Passat and Sovetsk, the small anti-submarine ships Urengoy and Kazanets, the corvettes Stoiky and Soobrazitelny, the patrol boat Yaroslav Mudry, the coast guard vessel Ladoga, the training ship Perekop and the diesel-electric submarine Magadan. The naval aircraft group taking part in the parade in St Petersburg included Mi-8, Ka-31 and Ka-27 helicopters, An-72, Be-200, Il-38, Tu-154, Tu-134, Tu-142MK and Su-24 planes, and Su-27, MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets. The 54-gun sailing battleship Poltava, recreated from 18th century drawings and models at the historic St Petersburg shipyard, led the parade line of ships in Russia’s second city. Where: St. Petersburg, Russian Federation When: 31 Jul 2022 Credit
US and Russian officials began talks in Saudi Arabia on March 24th aimed at advancing a broader ceasefire in Ukraine, with the US pushing for a separate Black Sea maritime ceasefire deal before securing a wider agreement, according to AL24 News.
The discussions follow US-led negotiations with Ukraine on March 23rd in Saudi Arabia, which coincided with President Donald Trump’s heightened drive to end the three-year-old conflict.
This comes after Trump spoke with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous week.
According to sources briefed on the planning, as reported by AL24 News, the US delegation is led by Andrew Peek, senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Department official.
Russia is represented by Grigory Karasin, former diplomat and current chair of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, and Sergei Beseda, an advisor to the director of the Federal Security Service, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz confirmed on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ on March 23rd that US, Russian, and Ukrainian delegations are meeting at the same facility in Riyadh.
In addition to the Black Sea ceasefire, the talks will address the “line of control” between the two countries, with discussions focused on “verification measures, peacekeeping, and freezing the lines where they are.”
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s Defence Minister and head of its delegation, stated on Facebook that the March 23rd talks included proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure.
The outcome of these talks surrounding the Ukraine and Black Sea maritime ceasefire deals, could pave the way for a critical step towards de-escalating the conflict, though significant challenges remain in securing a lasting peace.
AL24 News.
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