Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Saturday that Ukraine is “fully committed” to engaging in constructive discussions with U.S. representatives in Saudi Arabia next week regarding strategies to conclude the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Since his inauguration in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended military assistance to Ukraine and halted intelligence-sharing with the Ukrainian government.
Trump has criticized Zelenskiy for allegedly lacking seriousness in pursuing a peace agreement with Russia, which invaded Ukraine three years ago and currently occupies approximately 20% of its territory.
“From the very beginning of this war, Ukraine has been striving for peace. We have realistic proposals ready. The priority is to act swiftly and effectively,” Zelenskiy stated on the social media platform X.
He confirmed his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Monday. Following this, Ukrainian diplomatic and military officials will participate in discussions with the U.S. team on Tuesday.
“We are fully dedicated to a constructive dialogue and hope to discuss and finalize the necessary decisions and actions,” he remarked.
The Ukrainian delegation will consist of Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, has also indicated that he is in talks with Ukraine regarding a framework agreement to end the three-year conflict with Russia, with a meeting scheduled for next week in Saudi Arabia.
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In February, Riyadh facilitated a meeting between U.S. and Russian officials to explore ways to cease the most lethal conflict in Europe since World War II. Ukraine was not part of those discussions, raising alarms in Kyiv and among its European partners.
Zelenskiy met with Trump at the White House on February 28, but the meeting turned contentious as they publicly disagreed over peace initiatives.
