US and Ukraine begin meeting in Saudi Arabia after fighting White House talks
The Kiev Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that delegations from the United States and Ukraine had begun meetings in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, two weeks after a disastrous meeting between the leaders of the White House.
Washington was a major ally before Donald Trump took office as U.S. president in January, and his policy overturned the war against Russia and Ukraine to quickly end the battle. Trump was directly engaged to Moscow, stopped military aid to Kiev, and suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine, with Russian troops in a massive invasion in 2022.
The stunning White House conflict between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has deteriorated deeply.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s key message to the United States was almost overwhelmed, when a meeting with President Donald Trump’s Oval Office evolved into a game of open shouting. CBC’s Ellen Mauro cut the chaos of the day to reveal how Ukraine’s true pursuit and the history of diplomatic disappointment made the country crave the assurance of US security.
Trump has been in trouble since Russia’s invasion three years ago, as key to continuing the U.S. compensation for about $65 billion in U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Under great pressure from the United States, Zelenskyy has been doing his best to show that Kiev is committed to ending the war, despite failing to win the U.S. security assurance in the mineral agreement, which Kiev believes is crucial to any peace agreement.
“We have to understand Ukraine’s position and only make concessions to what they are willing to do, because you won’t be cease-fire and end this war,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on his way to Jeddah on Monday.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz will join the top diplomat of the U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz will join the U.S. top diplomat when he meets with senior officials of Zelenskyy’s top aide. Zelenskyy met with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Monday and he will not attend the talks.
Despite Rubio’s more cautiousness, Trump was elected for Ukrainian diplomacy for the special envoy for Steve Witkoff in the Middle East, saying he hopes the U.S.-Ukrainian mining company deal will be signed.
Witkov plans to visit Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin, a man who introduced Monday’s plan after a meeting with Kremlin leaders last month.
The EU is considering a plan of more than $100 million and increasing defense spending after U.S. President Donald Trump suspended military aid to Kyiv, raising concerns that the EU will no longer rely on the United States to protect against Russian aggression.
Ukraine’s European allies believe that Ukraine can only negotiate a peace agreement with Russia from an advantageous standpoint, and Kiev should not rush to the negotiation table with the invaders.
Zelenskyy said Putin did not want peace and warned that Russia could attack other European countries if the Russian invasion of Ukraine did not lead to obvious failure.
Rubio on Monday refused to designate the concessions that both sides had to make, but said it would be difficult for Kiev to take back all its lost territory.
He told reporters: “The Russians cannot conquer the whole of Ukraine, and it is obvious that it will be difficult for Ukraine to force the Russians to return all the way back to their 2014 position at any reasonable time.”
Russia takes up one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, annexed in 2014, with its troops forcing the eastern Donetsk region.
U.S. and Russian officials met in the Saudi capital in February in a rare case between former Cold War enemies. After formal contacts under former U.S. President Joe Biden, the focus of the discussion was largely on restoring the connection.
