Ukraine is scheduled to have bilateral talks with the US in Saudi Arabia this week with plans to propose a partial ceasefire with Russia, Financial Times reported on 9 March.
The Ukrainian delegation hopes thas such progress in the negotiations could convince the Trump administration to resume military and intelligence support, halted last week following the Trump-Zelenskyy heated argument on 28 Feb. in the Oval Office.
“The goal of any negotiations between Ukrainian and US authorities in Saudi Arabia will be, in particular, to agree on a resumption of assistance,” said Fedir Venislavskiy, a Ukrainian MP from President Zelenskyy’s party who serves on parliament’s national security committee.
The Financial Times reported that Ukrainian officials will propose halting long-range drone and missile strikes as well as combat operations in the Black Sea. This diplomatic push comes after Ukrainian troops surrendered Russian territory they captured last year in the Kursk Oblast, following the first days without US support.
In his lattest interview for Fox News on 9 March, President Trump did not directly mention the upcoming talks. He did express confidence about an upcoming “valuable” minerals deal with Kyiv. Trump also rejected criticism about his approach toward Moscow, declaring: “Nobody has been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump.”
The US pressure reportedly has forced a strategic shift from Zelenskyy’s administration following a tough meeting at the White House on 28 February. After the meeting Trump said that Zelenskyy is not “ready for peace” and froze military aid and intelligence sharing to push Zelenskyy to demonstrates “commitment” to peace negotiations with Russia. After the meeting Zelenskyy wrote a statement in the social media , admitting his commitment to peace and calling his public spat with Trump “regrettable.”
“The tactics have changed,” explained Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst based in Kyiv. “Now the most important [thing] is to normalise the relations with the US and, if before the plan was to get security guarantees first and then push for a ceasefire, it’s now obvious it won’t happen in that order.”
President Zelenskyy told EU leaders in Brussels that he seeks a general framework agreement with the US. This would begin with stopping aerial attacks, sea operations, and strikes on civilian infrastructure. Later phases would include prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russian authorities.
The Ukrainian president will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on 10 March. The negotiations in Jeddah will start the following day. Andriy Yermak, head of Zelenskyy’s office, will lead the Ukrainian team.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Brussels and Kyiv are “working very, very closely together.” According to European officials cited by the Financial Times, about 20 countries led by the UK and France have indicated willingness to support Ukraine after any ceasefire.
NBC News reported on 9 March that US officials believe a minerals deal alone, which have been signed after the press conference on 28 Feb., would not be enough for Trump to resume aid. They indicated the president also wants Zelenskyy to change his stance on peace talks, including territorial concessions, and either hold elections or step down.
“Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X on 8 March. “Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively.”
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed last week that “some kind of respite is absolutely unacceptable” without a “final settlement.”
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