Ukrainian and US officials are scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia this week to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
This marks the first high-level meeting between the two countries since February 28th. This is when the White House Conference with Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky and US President Donald Trump (joined by Vice President J.D. Vance) played in front of television cameras and fell into public destruction.
Here’s what you’ll expect in Saudi Arabia:
What kind of meetings are planned between the US and Ukraine?
Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, he wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
In his post, he added that Ukrainian diplomatic and military leaders will remain in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a meeting with US representatives.
The Ukrainian team for Tuesday’s meeting will include Andry Yahmack, head of Zelensky’s office. Andri Sibiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Rustem Umerov, Minister of Defense. Pablo Parrisa, Colonel of Zelensky’s office.
From the US side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be attending Tuesday’s meeting. He has already flew to Saudi Arabia, where he will also meet the Crown Prince. Rubio is expected to be joined by Trump’s Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkov and national security adviser Mike Waltz for the Ukraine meeting on Tuesday.
Witkov is already trying to mediate a deal between Russia and Ukraine. Last month, he represented the United States during peace talks with Russian officials and visited Russia, securing the release of imprisoned American Mark Vogel in exchange for the release of Russian Alexander Vinnik. Witkov was the first high-level US official to travel to the country since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Trump and Zelensky: What’s happened so far?
Talks in Saudi Arabia come less than two weeks after Zelensky accused the US and Trump of ungratefulness to the US to provide troops and other support to Ukraine as Trump and Vance as a warm man trying to avoid a ceasefire with Russia.
These accusations, and Zelensky’s attempts to question the merits of unconditional diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin, came amid a wider Trump-led change in the US approach to the Russian-Ukraine war.
Last month, representatives from Washington and Moscow discussed in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and there were no Ukraine or European countries. After this, Trump and Zelensky traded barbs, making the Jives against each other on speeches and social media.
And soon after a fierce meeting at Zelensky’s oval office, the US stopped military and intelligence reporting support to Ukraine.
Where will the US-Ukraine discussion take place?
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the meeting will take place in Jeddah, a port city in the Red Sea. Jeddah was previously the venue for diplomatic engagements.
“The Kingdom has continued these efforts over the past three years by holding many meetings on the issue,” a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Timothy Ash, a pre-fessional fellow in Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia program, told Al Jazeera that Saudi Arabia’s strong diplomatic relations and that Moscow and Kiev were in a good position to hold such a summit.
What will be discussed in the Saudi Arabian lecture?
On March 4th, Zelenskyy wrote in a post by X that Ukraine is ready for peace talks. He also summarises the terms of the peace plan in this post, writing: “The first stage could be the release of prisoners and ceasefires in the air. Missiles, long-range drones, bombs of energy and other civilian infrastructure — and if Russia does the same, it’s immediately a ceasefire at sea.”
A temporary ceasefire proposed by Zelenskyy, “may be part of a confidence building exercise in terms of long-range missiles and air attacks,” and “probably.” [be] “The heart of the discussion in Jeddah,” Ash said.
Ash added that there may be general debate to help both parties better understand each other’s position. For Ukraine, this could mean explaining the importance of a continuous flow of weapons and intelligence.
On Sunday, Trump was asked if he was thinking of ending a suspension on intelligence sharing. “We just have. We just have,” he replied. He said he hopes for a positive outcome from US Ukraine consultations on Tuesday.
From a US standpoint, Witcoff told reporters Thursday that Washington is seeking “as well as the framework for the peace agreement and the first ceasefire.”
On Thursday, Trump told reporters: He added: “I want to make a deal because in certain different ways – only I know, only I know – they have no choice either.”
There may also be a contract on the table on Tuesday regarding key minerals that will allow the US to invest in Ukrainian mineral resources, including rare earth minerals. Both countries were expected to sign a contract during Zelensky’s White House visit, but no agreement was engraved.
Zelenskyy has since said, “Ukraine is ready to sign it [the minerals agreement] Anytime, in any convenient format. We consider this agreement a step towards greater security and a robust security guarantee, and we really hope it works effectively. ”
Meanwhile, Trump has heard more cautiously about the recent prospects for mineral trade.
On Sunday, he said: “They [Ukraine] I sign a trade in minerals, but I want them peace… they don’t show it to the extent they should. ”
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