Ukrainian and US officials met behind closed doors for hours of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to find a path towards ending the war with Russia, after Kyiv’s forces launched their largest drone attack on Moscow of the war overnight.
Ukrainians and anxious allies watched for any signs of an improvement — or further deterioration — in Kyiv’s troubled transatlantic ties after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s disastrous talks with US President Donald Trump last month.
Under Trump, Kyiv’s one-time staunchest ally has upended its policy on the war and piled pressure on Ukraine, declining to provide security guarantees as part of any peace deal, while pausing military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters en route to the talks in Jeddah that the meeting would be important to gauge if Ukraine is willing to make concessions to reach peace.
More than three hours into the meeting, Mike Waltz, the US national security adviser, emerged for a break with Rubio and told reporters: “We’re getting there.”
Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy’s chief of staff who is leading the Ukrainian delegation, said earlier that the meeting had “begun very constructively”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a close Kyiv ally, told Trump on Monday that he hoped that US military assistance and intelligence sharing could be resumed as a result of a “positive outcome” at the talks.
“Dear Americans, dear Ukrainians, don’t waste this chance. The whole world is watching you in Jeddah today. Good luck!” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X.
