Ukraine-US Schedule Talks in Saudi Arabia to End Ukraine-Russia War

BRUSSELS, FRIDAY — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that negotiations between Ukraine and the United States (US) to end the Ukraine-Russia war will be held in Saudi Arabia next week. Separately, US President Donald Trump confirmed his planned visit to Saudi Arabia in the near future but did not provide details on when the visit would take place.

The plan for U.S.-Ukraine negotiations became possible after Zelenskyy sent a letter to Trump, which included an apology. This was revealed by Zelenskyy in his speech in Brussels, Belgium, after attending an emergency meeting with European Union leaders on Thursday evening (7/3/2025) local time or Friday morning Indonesian time.

Trump also conveyed Zelenskyy's letter in his speech before members of the US Congress on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, USA, last Tuesday.

Zelenskyy stated that he and his team would travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday (10/3/2025). He is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Following that meeting, his team will remain there to hold discussions with U.S. officials.

"I am scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with the Crown Prince. After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to collaborate with American partners. Ukraine is very interested in peace," said Zelenskyy.

In Washington on the same day, the U.S. Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, confirmed plans for U.S.-Ukraine negotiations. He stated that he plans to visit Saudi Arabia to hold discussions with the Ukrainian envoy.

The meeting is planned to discuss a ceasefire with Russia as well as a framework for a longer-term agreement. "We are currently in discussions to coordinate a meeting with Ukraine in Riyadh, or perhaps even in Jeddah," said Witkoff.

"The idea is to get a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well," Witkoff said.

Witkoff stated that President Trump was pleased with the letter sent by President Zelenskyy following the verbal confrontation at the White House last Friday (28/2/2025).

Witkoff said Trump felt Zelenskyy's letter was a very positive first step. "There was an apology. There was an acknowledgement that the United States has done so much for the country of Ukraine, and gratitude," he said.

On February 18, 2025, Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting between the US and Russia. Ukraine did not attend. Zelenskyy was originally scheduled to meet with MBS separately the next day, but the meeting was postponed.

In a White House meeting that ended in a spat, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of not being grateful enough to the US for billions of dollars in arms aid since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Zelenskyy left the White House without signing a rare earths deal demanded by Trump, which would have required Ukraine to hand over much of its mineral wealth to the U.S.

Asked whether Ukraine would sign the rare earths deal during the talks in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff said Zelensky had offered to sign the agreement. However, the outcome remains to be seen.

In Kyiv, a senior Ukrainian official said Ukrainian and U.S. delegations were expected to meet Tuesday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators were continuing their work. "We hope that next week we will have a meaningful meeting," Zelenskyy said.

In an attempt to salvage cooperation with Washington, Zelenskyy said he was ready to work toward a peace deal under a strong Trump presidency and was ready to finalize a deal on U.S. access to Ukraine's mineral resources.

We hope that next week we will have a meaningful meeting.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is working with French President Emmanuel Macron to mediate between Trump and Zelenskyy. The two have proposed a month-long ceasefire in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure.

Macron and Starmer have also called for the formation of a Coalition of the Willing to help secure a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire. A British official said talks were underway with about 20 countries on such a coalition.

Through the Coalition of The Willing, France and Britain are rallying forces to send troops to Ukraine to confront Russia. Macron said the troops were meant to keep the ceasefire going, not to fight.

Several European countries have said they are willing to deploy troops to Ukraine as a security guarantee.

But Russia has reiterated that it will not accept European troops in Ukraine, and that it will not accept a temporary ceasefire and says there needs to be a final settlement.

Trump's approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine has rocked Europe. Trump's approach to Putin is seen as ignoring Europe. On the other hand, it actually glues Britain to the European Union (EU), five years after Britain left the bloc.

On a separate occasion, Trump also said he planned to visit Saudi Arabia in the near future without giving a date. He suggested the meeting would be to reach a $1 trillion deal.

"I said, I'll go if you pay a trillion dollars, $1 trillion to American companies, purchases over a four-year period, a trillion dollars," he said, referring to the length of his presidential term.

However, Trump did not answer when asked whether he would meet Putin in Saudi Arabia.

Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia will be his first overseas trip in his second term as US president. In his first term in 2017, Trump also chose Saudi Arabia as his first trip.

This is because the Saudi kingdom has promised to buy US products worth 450 billion US dollars. Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia breaks the tradition of US presidents who usually visit the UK as their first overseas trip.

At an emergency meeting in Brussels on Thursday, European leaders reached a deal to boost EU defenses, as Washington said talks with Kyiv were back on track to secure a ceasefire with Moscow.

European countries agree on plan to rearm Europe. Macron also proposes using French nukes to boost European defense.

The deal was reached amid concerns about Russia's military might and the possibility of the US withdrawing its defense support to Europe.

"We are moving resolutely towards a Europe with strong and more sovereign defences. We are living up to our word," said European Council President Antonio Costa, who heads the council of the 27 EU member states' leaders after the meeting.

The emergency meeting agreed to mobilize around 800 billion euros ($860 billion) for defense spending. It also committed to examining a proposal for a loan scheme of up to 150 billion euros to EU member states for defense spending.

The deal loosens fiscal rules that allow EU member states to spend more on their military. "Today history is being written," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

He said the 27 EU leaders were determined to ensure Europe's security and act with the scale, speed and determination that the current situation demands.

The statement highlights the major geopolitical shifts that Trump has driven. Trump's policies have undermined 80 years of U.S.-European cooperation based on the understanding that the U.S. would help protect European countries after World War II.

In addition to boosting defense, the meeting also agreed on a statement of support for Ukraine, stating that Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position to secure a just and lasting peace.

The EU leaders' statement reiterated calls for strong and credible security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression. The text of the statement was supported by 26 of the EU's 27 member states.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Trump supporter and seen as a close ally of Putin, rejected parts of the meeting's statement that supported Ukraine.

The other 26 EU leaders agreed with the bloc's stance that there would be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine, and that Europe should be involved in any talks that involve its security.

EU leaders welcomed Zelenskyy to Brussels in a show of support, a week after his rift with Trump. Zelenskyy and Trump's spat at the White House was followed by the US halting military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

However, the emergency EU meeting did not result in any new aid announcements for Ukraine. Some EU countries argue that Europe already has enough money to meet Kyiv's needs, despite the US aid freeze.

Norway, which is not an EU member, announced that it would double its aid to Ukraine by 2025, bringing the total to $7.8 billion. "We are very grateful that we are not alone," Zelenskyy said in welcoming the statement of support. (AP/AFP/Reuters)