The meeting aims to establish a “peace framework” to resolve the conflict with Russia.
According to Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, American and Ukrainian negotiators are planning to meet in Saudi Arabia. This announcement follows a disagreement between Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, with Trump alleging Zelensky’s unwillingness to pursue peace with Russia.
Witkoff stated, “We are now in discussions to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh or potentially in Jeddah. The idea is to get a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well.”
Zelensky announced on X that he would meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, adding, “my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with our American partners.”
Axios reports that the talks might occur on Wednesday, involving Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak.
Last week, during a tense exchange in the Oval Office, Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” and claimed he lacked leverage in negotiations. He deemed Zelensky’s attitude “disrespectful” and subsequently suspended military aid and intelligence sharing.
Zelensky later described the argument as “regrettable” and proposed negotiating a limited truce and a prisoner exchange with Russia. On X, he wrote on Tuesday, “Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree [on] a strong final deal.”
Trump has shifted from the previous administration’s approach of “isolating” Russia, opting instead for direct talks with Moscow. Russian and American negotiators met in Riyadh on February 18, marking their first meeting in three years. Zelensky canceled his trip to Saudi Arabia that same month to avoid “coincidences” with the talks that occurred without his approval.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that Moscow was “analyzing” the news of the upcoming US-Ukrainian meeting. Russia has welcomed the resumption of bilateral contacts with the US as a positive step towards normalizing relations.
Russia has blamed Kiev for the breakdown of peace talks in 2022, accusing Ukraine of making unrealistic demands. Moscow has insisted that Ukraine must abandon its NATO aspirations and become a neutral state, and also recognize Crimea and four other former Ukrainian regions as part of Russia.
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