US, Ukrainian officials arrive in Saudi Arabia for talks to mend ties
- 10 March, 10:02
Senior Ukrainian and US officials arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for meetings aimed at mending severely damaged relations.
The Ukrainian delegation led by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, will meet US secretary of state Marco Rubio and other senior officials. Ukrainian defence and foreign ministers are also in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah for talks with White House officials.
“On our side, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue, and we hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps,” Zelenskiy said in a post on X on Monday, adding that “realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively.”
Zelenskiy and Donald Trump will not take part in the negotiations, although Zelenskiy visited Jeddah on Monday to met the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah will be the first one since the disastrous Oval Office meeting in which Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance berated Zelenskiy for not showing enough gratitude for US aid and for “gambling with World War III”. A few days after the meeting, US cut military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. Following US decision to cut vital support to Ukraine, emboldened Russia launched large-scale attacks across Ukraine, killing 14 people and made gains in its Kursk region where Ukrainian troops had maintained a seven-month foothold.
