US officials, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Ukrainian officials, led by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy – Andriy Yermak have started their talks in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah.
Yermak said on Tuesday that discussions with the US delegation in the Saudi port city of Jeddah had begun positively.
“The meeting with the US team started very constructively, we continue our work,” Yermak, who was attending the most senior meeting with US officials, said on social media.
Ukraine wants peace and is ready to negotiate to end the war, a top advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday as he entered talks with US counterparts in Saudi Arabia.
“We are ready to do everything to achieve peace,” Yermak told reporters.
The US-Ukraine peace talks follow last month’s White House talks when US President Donald Trump and Zelensky clashed, and took bilateral relations to an all time low. Trump raised his voice at Zelensky and said that he should be more grateful for the US aid given to Ukraine to fight Russia. Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance also berated Zelensky and called him “disrespectful”.
Zelensky hopes the talks in Jeddah will revive “pragmatic” ties with the US after the meeting with Trump ended badly last month.
Ukraine launched its biggest drone attack on Russia overnight , deploying 91 drones, killing one, closing airports and causing diversions of dozens of flights.
Rubio said, “We have to understand the Ukrainian position and just have 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”.
Trump’s deal will be discussed in the meeting, as the key to US support and military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine 3 years ago.