U.S. and Ukraine start meetings in Saudi Arabia after combative White House talks

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 5:38 AM EDT | Last Updated: 21 minutes ago

U.S. and Ukrainian delegations person begun their gathering successful Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Kyiv's overseas ministry said connected Tuesday, 2 weeks aft a disastrous gathering betwixt the 2 countries' leaders astatine the White House.

Washington, Kyiv's main state earlier Donald Trump's inauguration arsenic U.S. president successful January, has upended its argumentation connected Russia's warfare with Ukraine to prosecute a accelerated extremity to the fighting. Trump has engaged straight with Moscow, stopped subject assistance to Kyiv and paused quality sharing with Ukraine, which Russian troops invaded astatine standard successful 2022.

A stunning White House clash past period betwixt Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy profoundly soured relations.

WATCH | Cutting done the chaos of the disastrous Trump-Zelenskyy gathering connected Feb. 28: 

That near successful limbo a minerals woody that Trump framed arsenic cardinal to continued U.S. enactment and compensation for immoderate $65 cardinal successful U.S. subject assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded 3 years ago.

Under aggravated U.S. pressure, Zelenskyy has been astatine pains to amusement that Kyiv is committed to ending the war, contempt failing to triumph U.S. information guarantees successful the minerals accord that Kyiv sees arsenic captious for immoderate bid deal.

"We person to recognize the Ukrainian presumption and conscionable person a wide thought of what concessions they'd beryllium consenting to make, due to the fact that you're not going to get a ceasefire and an extremity to this warfare unless some sides marque concessions," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters connected Monday en way to Jeddah.

The apical U.S. diplomat volition beryllium joined by U.S. nationalist information advisor Mike Waltz erstwhile they conscionable with elder Ukrainian officials led by Andriy Yermak, a apical Zelenskyy aide. Zelenskyy, who was successful Saudi Arabia connected Monday to conscionable with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, volition not beryllium joining the talks.

Although Rubio was much cautious, Trump's peculiar envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who has been drafted into Ukraine diplomacy, said helium was hopeful the U.S.-Ukraine minerals woody would beryllium signed.

Witkoff plans to sojourn Moscow to conscionable President Vladimir Putin, a idiosyncratic briefed connected the plans said connected Monday, pursuing a gathering with the Kremlin person successful Russia past month.

WATCH | EU proposes assistance program for Ukraine after Trump's suspension of subject assistance to Kyiv:

Ukraine's European allies reason that Ukraine tin lone negociate a bid woody with Russia from a presumption of spot and Kyiv should not beryllium rushed to the bargaining array with an aggressor.

Zelenskyy has said that Putin does not privation bid and has warned that Russia could onslaught different European countries if its penetration of Ukraine does not effect successful a wide defeat.

Rubio declined connected Monday to specify concessions each broadside would person to marque but said Kyiv would person trouble reclaiming each of its mislaid territory.

"The Russians can't conquer each of Ukraine, and evidently it'll beryllium precise hard for Ukraine successful immoderate tenable clip play to benignant of unit the Russians backmost each the mode to wherever they were successful 2014," helium told reporters.

Russia holds astir a 5th of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea which it annexed successful 2014, and its troops are pressing connected the eastbound Donetsk region.

U.S. and Russian officials met successful the Saudi superior successful February successful a uncommon brushwood betwixt the erstwhile Cold War foes. The discussions were focused mostly connected restoring ties aft a near-total frost connected authoritative interaction nether erstwhile U.S. President Joe Biden, Trump's predecessor.