Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has travelled to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday ahead of crucial talks between Ukrainian and United States officials aimed at ending the ongoing war with Russia.
The United States, once regarded as Ukraine’s main ally, has shifted its wartime stance in pursuit of what was described as a rapid resolution to the conflict.
Washington has begun engaging directly with Moscow while cutting off military assistance and suspending intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
According to Reuters, Zelenskyy is set to hold discussions with the Saudi crown prince, whose government has played various mediating roles since Russia’s 2022 invasion, including facilitating prisoner exchanges and hosting a recent round of talks between the United States and Russia.
Tuesday’s meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian officials, the first since what has been described as a disastrous Oval Office encounter between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to focus on a bilateral minerals deal and potential pathways to end the war.
Under mounting pressure from Trump, who has called for a swift end to the war, Zelenskyy has sought to demonstrate alignment with Washington, despite failing to secure U.S. security guarantees Kyiv views as essential for any peace agreement.
Zelenskyy has confirmed he will not attend the U.S. talks directly. The Ukrainian delegation will be led by his chief of staff, along with the country’s foreign and defence ministers and a senior military official from the presidential administration.
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“On our side, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue, and we hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively.”
According to U.S. officials, part of Tuesday’s discussions will centre on whether Kyiv is ready to consider meaningful concessions to Russia in the interest of achieving peace.
“You can’t say ‘I want peace,’ and, ‘I refuse to compromise on anything’,” one of the officials said of the upcoming talks.
A second U.S. official added: “We want to see if the Ukrainians are interested not just in peace, but in a realistic peace.”
Trump, speaking on Sunday, expressed optimism about the talks, saying he expected good results and noted that the United States had “just about” ended a suspension of intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
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