Russia and Ukraine will sit in neighbouring rooms and negotiate a ceasefire plan through US intermediaries shuttling back and forth, the White House has said.

General Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, confirmed talks on the US proposal for a ceasefire would begin on Monday in Saudi Arabia.

Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky have already agreed to a partial ceasefire covering energy and civilian infrastructure – though both claim the other side has violated the agreement.

The new talks, which will focus on implementing the energy ceasefire and safety of shipping in the Black Sea, will be “proximity discussions”, Gen Kellogg said.

“One group will be in this room, and one group will be in [another] room, and they’ll sit and talk, go back and forth, sort of like shuttle diplomacy in a hotel,” he told ABC News.

“That’s how it’s going to work, we’ll find out where everybody stands.”

US officials have repeatedly spoken about engaging in “shuttle diplomacy” in order to facilitate dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv and bring about an end to the war.

“Shuttle diplomacy is difficult, it’s tough, but we are going back and forth at every level driving both sides to a ceasefire, driving both sides towards the end of this war,” Mike Waltz, the White House national security adviser, said this week.

Both Russian and Ukrainian officials have met with US representatives in Saudi Arabia since Mr Trump returned to office, though talks took place on different dates and in different cities.

The Ukrainian delegation has been led by Andrii Yermak, Mr Zelensky’s closest adviser, while the Russian delegation has been headed by Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council committee on international affairs, and Sergei Beseda, adviser to the head of the FSB security service.