Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced Sunday that the talks between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations had concluded in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, saying the discussion was "productive and focused", with "key points including energy" addressed.
In a post on social media platform X, Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, emphasized that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's goal is "to secure a just and lasting peace" for Ukraine and Europe at large, claiming, "We are working to make that goal a reality."
The Ukrainian and U.S. teams met earlier in the day in Riyadh.
According to the Ukrinform news agency, the Ukrainian delegation also included State Secretary of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleksandr Karasevych, deputy heads of the President's Office, Pavlo Palisa and Ihor Zhovkva, as well as Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk.
Palisa confirmed on the same day that the Ukrainian delegation would not meet with the Russian delegation in Riyadh.
In a video address on Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the talks held that day between the Ukrainian and U.S. delegations were "very productive". He also called on all parties to continue to exert pressure on Russia to compel it to achieve a "genuine" ceasefire.
The talks came almost two weeks after a previous meeting between the two sides in the Saudi port city of Jeddah saw Ukraine okay a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire plan in exchange for Washington lifting its pause on military aid to and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Notably, the meeting precedes the talks between U.S. and Russian delegations scheduled for Monday. Media reported late Sunday that the Russian delegation had arrived in Riyadh. The delegation includes Grigory Karasin, chairman of the committee on international affairs in Russia's upper house, and Sergey Beseda, adviser to the head of Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier.
US, Ukraine conclude "productive" talks in Riyadh: Ukrainian DM
US, Ukraine conclude "productive" talks in Riyadh: Ukrainian DM
Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities should be blamed for the island's worsening tourism deficit, whose restrictions on cross-Strait travel are crippling the industry, said Chen Binhua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
Amid the sluggish recovery of Taiwan's inbound tourism in the post-epidemic era and the soaring tourism deficit, people from various sectors in Taiwan, particularly the tourism industry, have called on local authorities to resume the entry of mainland travelers to the island as soon as possible.
According to data released by Taiwan's transport authorities on Feb. 24, the island saw approximately 7.86 million inbound travelers last year, reaching only 60 percent of pre-epidemic levels and falling significantly short of the 10 million target set by the authorities.
Meanwhile, the number of outbound travelers in 2024 reached 16.85 million. The nearly nine-million-people gap between inbound and outbound tourists resulted in a trade deficit exceeding 20 billion U.S. dollars for the industry, according to the data.
"We have always adhered to the conviction that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of the same family, and actively promoted cross-Strait tourism exchanges and cooperation. The goodwill and sincerity we have released are obvious to all. In 2023, we announced the resumption of receiving group tours of Taiwan residents to the mainland, and Taiwan residents can travel freely to and from the mainland. In 2024, arrangements were made for mainland residents to travel to Kinmen and Matsu, as well as for group tours to the Taiwan island. In January of this year, we also announced the resumption of group tours for residents of Fujian and Shanghai to Taiwan. In contrast, the DPP authorities have repeatedly obstructed, restricted, and set up barriers to cross-Strait tourism and exchanges in various fields. This is the fundamental reason why Taiwan's tourism industry has become a 'tourism disaster industry'. We deeply sympathize with the difficulties faced by Taiwan's tourism industry and related grassroots people. We understand their calls and demands," said Chen.
DPP condemned for Taiwan's 'tourism disaster': spokesman
