US and Russia Negotiate Black Sea Cease-Fire as Ukraine Conflict Continues: With that one big, beautiful bill the president has often talked about – which includes an extension of his tax cuts. There is talk of lifting the debt ceiling in that package, making it much broader. This will really be a meeting of the minds, with White House officials included, putting the Treasury Secretary in to see if they can get everyone on one page.
We are expecting the U.S. and Russia to release a joint statement this morning after holding talks in Saudi Arabia yesterday. They are trying to secure a maritime cease-fire in the Black Sea. Speaking to Russian state media earlier, they said the talks were challenging but useful, and discussions would continue with involvement from the U.N. and other countries.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, fighting rages on. Overnight, Kyiv says Russia launched 139 attack drones and ballistic missiles, injuring at least two people. For all of this, we’re joined by CBS News foreign correspondent Ramy Inocencio. Good morning to you. What can you tell us about these talks in Saudi Arabia and when might we hear about a potential cease-fire?
New developments from CBS News’ own reporting – sources said we’d get the statement by 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and we’re now about three hours past that original timeframe. We’ve gotten a few lines from the Kremlin, with Moscow perhaps trying to set expectations. One line indicates the outcomes have been sent to their respective capitals for analysis. They mentioned details that won’t be made public, adding they can discuss understandings later.
There isn’t much substance yet, but the Kremlin appears to be buying time to develop follow-up plans. A key part of these discussions involves Moscow wanting to restore the Black Sea Grain Deal first struck in summer 2022 – now approaching two years. That agreement allowed millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to transit the Black Sea via Turkey, while also permitting Russian food and fertilizer to reach global markets despite sanctions.
Source: raialkhalij + aljazeera