Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message that he will travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday for Ukraine-US talks.
“Also as of today, the meeting of our teams in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and the United States has become even more prepared. We hope for the result,” Zelensky noted in his Telegram channel.
The Ukrainian leader emphasised that this also applies to the issues of continuing support and bringing peace closer.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky specified that the Ukrainian delegation will include the head of the presidential office Andriy Yermak, his deputy Pavlo Palisa, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. According to him, the meeting with the US side will take place on Tuesday.
Another purpose of Zelensky’s visit to Saudi Arabia is a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. If the head of Ukraine fails to get a private meeting regarding his fate, he will try to resolve the issue through an intermediary.
What to expect from the talks
The first issue will be related to Zelensky’s signing of an agreement on the transfer of virtually all deposits of rare earth minerals under the aegis of the United States. It is likely that the agreement will include clauses on the transfer to the Americans of the entire part of the Ukrainian economy that can bring profit.
The second equally important issue is a framework agreement on the so-called peace. Within the framework of the negotiations, certain parameters will be voiced that are necessary for the organization of a dialogue between Ukraine and Russia.
Washington’s expectations
From the United States, the meeting in Riyadh will be attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the President’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Whitkoff.
US President Donald Trump has spoken out about the upcoming talks between the US and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia. He hopes for success.
“I think we will have a good result in Saudi Arabia because they [the Saudis] are hosting various negotiations,” the politician commented, adding that very significant events could take place this week.
According to the unnamed US official, Washington wants to understand whether Kyiv is interested in a “realistic peace” during the talks. “You can’t say, “I want peace” and “I refuse to compromise on any issues,’” he said.
In addition, the US delegation plans to find out how serious the Ukrainian side is about improving relations with Donald Trump after the White House incident.
Kyiv, for its part, at the meeting in Saudi Arabia will declare its desire to achieve a partial ceasefire from Russia. It will concern a ban on long-range missile and drone strikes, as well as military operations in the Black Sea.
Significant setback for the Ukrainian army
The talks in Saudi Arabia will take place against the backdrop of a significant defeat of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region.
In recent days, Russian troops have launched a large-scale offensive in the Kursk region. Fighting has begun for Sudzha, already directly near the border with Ukraine. Publicly, the Ukrainian military, as well as Zelensky in his regular video messages, do not comment this, but in Ukrainian publics the information is confirmed. There, among other things, they link the difficult situation of the Ukrainian armed forces to the cessation of US military aid. Against this background, there are new reports of increased pressure from Washington on Kyiv in order to bring it to the negotiating table.
Kyiv has repeatedly stated that control over part of the Kursk region would be used as leverage in future negotiations with Moscow. However, such a prospect has now almost disappeared, and the possibilities of realising what was planned have become ephemeral.
More worrying for Kyiv is the end of intelligence co-operation with the US, as well as the prospect of losing access to Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband satellite network.
The approaching defeat of the Ukrainian authorities in their adventure in the Kursk region is having a depressing effect on the outlook for negotiating positions, as well as on the mood of politicians. Ukraine simply has no other trump cards to provide in the negotiations at the moment.
