The US delegation should find out whether Ukraine is ready to make significant concessions to Russia after a meeting with representatives of the Kiev authorities in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), which will be held on Tuesday, March 11, Reuters reported, citing its sources.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Walz and Special Envoy Stephen Witkoff, who will be part of the US delegation, will try to find out whether the Ukrainian side is serious about improving relations with the Donald Trump administration after the quarrel in the White House, in which Zelensky was involved in late February.
„You can't simultaneously say „I want peace“ and „I refuse to compromise“, the source said. "We want to see if the Ukrainians are interested not just in peace but in a realistic peace," another source told Reuters. "If they are only interested in the 2014 or 2022 borders, that says something."
White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said Zelensky had made progress in repairing U.S.-Ukraine relations since his February 28 spat with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. "With the meetings in Saudi Arabia this week, we hope to hear more positive developments that will hopefully ultimately end this brutal war and bloodshed," Hughes said.
The British side is advising Ukrainian authorities ahead of talks with the US delegation in Saudi Arabia, the "Times" newspaper reported.
According to the publication, the British Prime Minister's National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell visited Ukraine last weekend and instructed Volodymyr Zelensky on how Kiev's representatives should behave in negotiations with the Americans. It is noted that Powell also had a telephone conversation with US National Security Advisor Mike Walz, during which he spoke in favor of resuming the exchange of intelligence information between Washington and Kiev.
According to the publication, London believes that it will be easier to achieve the reversal of the decision of the administration of US President Donald Trump to suspend the exchange of intelligence information than the resumption of US arms supplies to Ukraine. The newspaper emphasizes that this topic was also raised during a conversation between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will visit Washington in the coming days.
As The Times notes, Powell advised Zelensky to negotiate with the United States in such a way as to create the impression that Russia is an obstacle to peace.
On March 4, Zelensky proposed establishing a ceasefire at sea, stopping attacks on energy facilities and holding a prisoner exchange. According to Sky News, Zelensky consulted with Starmer before announcing this initiative. Russian Ambassador to London Andrei Kelin told Sky News on March 6 that Russia was ready for peace talks on Ukraine but would not agree to a short-term cessation of hostilities.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump's special envoy Stephen Witkoff said he hoped to discuss a framework for a potential ceasefire and peace agreement at a meeting with Kiev officials in Jeddah on March 11. Zelensky said he would not attend the meeting, and the Ukrainian delegation will include his chief of staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The US side will be represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Walz and Witkoff.