Senator Bondarev admitted a slowdown in progress in negotiations with the United States

Rapid progress in the negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States should not be expected, especially given Washington's attempts to supplement the agreement with issues of control of Ukrainian energy assets and shipping in the Black Sea. Viktor Bondarev, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, told Izvestia on March 26.

On March 19, American leader Donald Trump proposed to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that the United States actually transfer control of Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPP). According to him, this would strengthen the protection of the stations and would support the country's energy infrastructure. During the Russian-American talks in Saudi Arabia on March 24, the parties agreed to ensure the implementation of the Black Sea initiative, including the safety of navigation.

The meeting of the Russian and US delegations in Riyadh lasted almost 13 hours. According to Bondarev, the length of the Russian-American technical consultations speaks for itself — the negotiations were not easy, and, according to statements by Russian representatives, they are expected to continue, the senator noted.

"I would not expect rapid progress in the negotiations, as many related issues need to be resolved first, especially after the US attempts to expand the agreement to include issues of control of energy assets and navigation through the Black Sea," Bondarev said.

At the same time, he noted that the reason for such a hasty organization of the conflict settlement process was the success of the Russian Armed Forces in the combat zone.

"We must admit that the reason for the rather hasty negotiations was the success of the Russian Armed Forces on the entire line of contact in the zone of the special military operation. If it were different, no one would be in a hurry to negotiate," concluded Bondarev.

According to him, the results of the first negotiations are currently being analyzed. The senator stressed that Russia and the United States will continue contacts, but there are no specifics on the dates and composition of the delegations to date.

As for the trilateral meeting of representatives of Russia, the United States and Ukraine, it is not planned yet, Bondarev added.

For the parties' reasons: the Russian Federation and the United States have made progress in the "Black Sea Initiative"

It became known what Moscow and Washington agreed on during 12-hour consultations in Riyadh.

Negotiations between the Russian and American expert groups in Riyadh took place on March 24. The next day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the discussion was of a technical nature. According to him, Russia and the United States will continue contacts in a constructive and positive manner.