London – US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for major conversations on Tuesday to outline a course to end the three-year war on Russia-after weeks of disintegration between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodimir Zelenski.
Both sides have put the talks on Tuesday as a way of resetting bilateral relations after the explosive office meeting in the explosive office last month between Trump, Zelenski and Vice President JD Vance. The story prompted Trump to condemn Kiev as a major obstacle to peace in Ukraine, as well as to freeze the US military assistance and some intelligence shares.
“The most important thing we have to leave here is a strong feeling that Ukraine is ready to do difficult things,” St. Marko Rubio said on Monday, who will lead the US delegation, “said Monday.
Zelenski has stressed his readiness for peace, although he has repeatedly warned that any agreement should guarantee determination against future Russian aggression. On Monday, Zelenski – who will not participate in the talks on Tuesday – travels to Saudi Arabia to meet with the Crown Prince and actually ruler Mohammed bin Salman.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibiha, Head of the Presidential Office of Ukrainian President Andriy Jermak and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Musrov meet in Jeda, Saudi Arabia, on March 11, 2025.
Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Zelenski said there was a “detailed discussion” with Salman about “the steps and conditions needed to end the war and to ensure a reliable and lasting peace” in a post on social media after the two met.
“I explicitly emphasized the issue of the release of prisoners and the return of our children, which can become a key step in building trust in diplomatic efforts. A significant part of the discussion was dedicated to security guarantees,” Zelenski said.
Zelenski said the Ukrainian delegation would “stay” in the country to “work with the US team” on Tuesday. Zelenski said he hoped for “practical results” from the US-Ukrana meeting.
“Ukraine’s position in these conversations will be completely constructive,” he added.
The American delegation will be led by Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Wals and Middle East Messenger Steve Vikof.
The flag of Saudi Arabia and Ukraine Line King Abdulaziz Road in the port city of Saudi Red Sea in Jeddah before a visit to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, March 10, 2025.
Amer Hilabi/AFP via Gettty Imagesges
The Ukraine Negotiations Group will include Andrius Jermak – Head of the Zelenski Cabinet – Foreign Minister Andri Sibiha, Defense Minister Rustm Musrov and Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa.
“The team is in place,” Jermak wrote on Telegram on Tuesday morning. “Preparation of work. Protection of Ukrainian interests, a clear vision for ending war, we will work effectively with our American partners.”
The Trump administration urges Kiev to make discounts in pursuit of a peaceful deal to end the invasion of Russia. The White House also wants Ukraine to abandon a mineral sharing agreement that Trump has described as a way of restoring tens of billions of aids sent to Ukraine from 2022.
Rubio said the Russians “would also have to do difficult things”, although Trump and his senior officials did not say what discounts Moscow could be asked. American and Russian negotiators first met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last month.
A source close to Zelenskyy confirmed to ABC News that Ukraine will propose a partial ceasefire in its conversations with the United States that partial cessation will be applied to air strikes and attacks in the sea, the source said.
The timeframe for the reconciliation remains unclear.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with the media on his military aircraft while flying Jeddah, Saudi Arabia March 10, 2025.
Saul Loeb/Pool via Reuters
“We want to offer a partial cessation of the fire, which can be monitored and then see how the Russians react to determine the next steps,” the source added.
Rubio told reporters on Monday that he saw some promise in the partial proposal of Ukraine.
“I am not saying that in itself is enough, but this is the type of concessions you will need to see in order to end this conflict,” he said.
Rubio said that the finalization of the mineral deal with Ukraine is “an important topic, but this is not the main topic for the agenda.”
“This is certainly a deal that the president wants to see, but it doesn’t have to happen tomorrow,” he said on Monday. “There are still more details that need to be understood.”
The conversations began after Ukraine began its biggest attack on drones of war in Russia. The Russian authorities said the defense forces were overthrown by 337 drones overnight on Tuesday, including 91 over Moscow. At least two people were killed and eight injured in the capital, said governor Andrey Vorobiov.
Asked Tuesday morning, Ukrainian strikes were intended to disrupt the nascent negotiations to end the fire, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the journalists, “There are still no negotiations.
Specialists work on the facade of a damaged residential building after a drone attack in Moscow on March 11, 2025.
Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP through Getty Images
ABC News’ Nataliia Popova, Ellie Kaufman and Oleskiy Pshemyskiy contributed to this report.
