Steve Whitkoff - U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East - told Fox News that diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Russia on peace in Ukraine will take place on March 23 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The discussions, led by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will focus on key details regarding the ceasefire. It is not yet clear whether Ukraine will be invited to the talks.

"Until recently, we really didn't have consensus around those two aspects - the cease-fire on energy and infrastructure and the moratorium on firing in the Black Sea - and we've gotten to that place today, and I think it's a relatively short distance from there to a full cease-fire," Whitkoff said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 30-day suspension of strikes against energy infrastructure during talks with Trump.

The statement followed a phone call between Putin and Trump during which they discussed ending the war in Ukraine and the U.S. offer of a 30-day ceasefire to allow for further peace talks. 

"I would commend President Putin for everything he did today during this conversation to bring his country closer to a final peace agreement," Whitkoff told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "And I would give all the credit to President Trump, to his election, to peace through strength, to the notion that there are no alternatives, and to the fact that a good peace and a lasting peace are important to both countries."

"I cannot overstate how persuasive he was during that conversation; he is a born leader and he is demonstrating that today," the Middle East envoy said.

The Kremlin said that "during the talks, Donald Trump proposed a mutual renunciation by the parties to the conflict of strikes for 30 days on energy infrastructure sites." Vladimir Putin "responded positively to this initiative and immediately gave the appropriate command to the Russian military."

The Kremlin also reported that Putin "responded constructively to Donald Trump's idea of implementing the well-known initiative on the safety of navigation in the Black Sea." 

"It was agreed to start negotiations to further develop the specific details of such an agreement," the statement added. | BGNES