US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks aimed at repairing strained relations and assessing whether Kyiv is open to concessions under President Donald Trump’s push to swiftly end Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Washington, once Ukraine’s strongest ally before Trump’s inauguration in January, has dramatically shifted its stance on the conflict. The Trump administration has engaged directly with Moscow, halted military assistance to Kyiv, and suspended intelligence-sharing with Ukraine—moves that have reshaped the dynamics of the war Russia escalated in 2022.
A tense confrontation last month between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House further deepened the rift between the two nations. The fallout has also stalled a minerals deal that Trump framed as crucial to continued US support and as compensation for the $65 billion in military aid the US has provided Ukraine since Russia’s invasion three years ago.
Under intense US pressure, Zelensky has sought to demonstrate Kyiv’s commitment to ending the war, despite failing to secure US security guarantees in the minerals deal—terms that Ukraine considers essential for any peace agreement.
“We have to understand the Ukrainian position and get a general idea of what concessions they’d be willing to make, because you’re not going to get a ceasefire and an end to this war unless both sides make concessions,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday while en route to Jeddah.
Rubio, joined by US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, is leading the American delegation in talks with senior Ukrainian officials headed by Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelensky. However, Zelensky himself, who met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, is not attending the discussions.
While Rubio was measured in his comments, Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism that the US-Ukraine minerals deal could still be finalised. According to a source briefed on his plans, Witkoff intends to visit Moscow for another meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following a previous discussion with the Kremlin leader last month.
Ukraine’s European allies argue that Kyiv should negotiate from a position of strength and should not be rushed into peace talks with an aggressor. Zelensky has repeatedly warned that Putin does not seek peace and has cautioned that Russia may target other European nations if its invasion of Ukraine is not met with decisive resistance.
Rubio declined to outline specific concessions but suggested that Kyiv may struggle to reclaim all its lost territory.
“The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously it’ll be very difficult for Ukraine, in any reasonable time period, to push the Russians back to where they were in 2014,” Rubio said.
Russia currently occupies around one-fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and its forces continue to advance in the eastern Donetsk region.
Tuesday’s meeting follows a rare February encounter between US and Russian officials in Riyadh, where discussions focused on restoring diplomatic ties after years of strained relations—especially under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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