Zelensky visits Saudi Arabia ahead of critical peace talks
President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, ahead of discussions between Ukrainian and American officials about ending the war with Russia, at a time when Kyiv's situation is growing more precarious.
The United States, once Ukraine's primary ally, has radically altered its war policy in a stated effort to bring the conflict to a swift conclusion, directly engaging in negotiations with Moscow and suspending military support and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, according to Reuters.
Discussions between American and Ukrainian officials, scheduled for Tuesday—the first official meeting since a tense encounter between Zelensky and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office—will focus on a bilateral agreement on minerals and efforts to end the war.
Under significant pressure from Trump, who seeks a rapid end to the conflict, Zelensky has attempted to demonstrate alignment, though he has failed to secure the security guarantees from the U.S. that Kyiv deems essential for any peace agreement.
Zelensky stated that he would not attend the negotiations with American officials, with the Ukrainian delegation comprising his chief of staff, foreign and defense ministers, as well as a senior military official from the presidential administration.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy who organized the talks, stated that the goal is "to establish a framework for a peace agreement, as well as for an initial ceasefire."
Moscow has rejected the proposal for a temporary ceasefire, also suggested by Britain and France, claiming that it is an attempt to buy time for Kyiv and prevent the collapse of the Ukrainian army.
The Ukrainian leader also stated that Kyiv is prepared to sign the minerals agreement with the U.S., which would create a joint fund from the sale of Ukrainian minerals, and which Washington considers crucial to maintaining American support.
As U.S. support becomes increasingly uncertain, Zelensky has called on European allies to intensify their aid, as Ukraine’s position on the battlefield deteriorates, and pressure grows on Kyiv to withdraw from the Russian-held region of Kursk.
Ukrainian troops that entered the Kursk region last summer are now almost surrounded by Russian forces, according to open-source maps.
Russia controls approximately a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and its forces continue to advance in the Donetsk region in the east, intensifying drone and missile attacks on cities and towns far from the front lines.
In the past week, Russia launched 1,200 air-guided bombs, nearly 870 attack drones, and more than 80 missiles against Ukraine, Zelensky reported.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
