President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, working to restore his strained relationship with the US and safe a positive deal to finish his nation’s battle with Russia, was scheduled to fulfill on Monday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.
The meeting between Mr. Zelensky and Prince Mohammed, the de facto Saudi chief, who has sought to take a central position on the world’s diplomatic stage, comes forward of talks deliberate for Tuesday between Ukrainian and U.S. officers within the oil-rich Gulf state.
The crown prince, as soon as shunned internationally due to accusations of human rights abuses that he has denied, has positioned his nation as a intermediary in efforts to finish the Russia-Ukraine battle. Final 12 months, Saudi Arabia performed a pivotal position in a fancy U.S.-Russia prisoner swap, and President Trump has suggested it could be the site of a possible meeting between him and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Final month, Mr. Zelensky postponed a visit to Saudi Arabia after it hosted an extraordinary meeting of the U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and his Russian counterpart, Sergey V. Lavrov, during which the 2 sides sought to reset their relationship and mentioned the battle in Ukraine, with out Mr. Zelensky.
However on Saturday, Mr. Zelensky said on social media that he would go to Saudi Arabia, declaring that he was “decided to do the whole lot to finish this battle with a simply and lasting peace.”
“Ukraine has been looking for peace from the very first second of this battle,” he wrote of the full-scale battle, which started with Russia’s invasion three years in the past. “Sensible proposals are on the desk. The secret is to maneuver rapidly and successfully.”
Mr. Zelensky added that he wouldn’t attend the talks with U.S. officers, however the Ukrainian delegation would come with the nation’s overseas and protection ministers, a prime army official and the president’s chief of employees.
Mr. Zelensky is below intense stress from the Trump administration to conform to a peace deal, and he has appeared to recalibrate his message after Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance angrily assailed him 10 days in the past within the Oval Office over what they described as a scarcity of gratitude for U.S. assist.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly stated that Mr. Zelensky doesn’t “have the playing cards” given Russia’s army energy, and has all however demanded that Ukraine settle for diplomatic phrases set by the US for a decision of the battle. Nonetheless, there are indicators that Ukraine’s place on the battlefield is enhancing: Ukrainian troops have in recent months stalled a Russian offensive and in some locations received again small patches of land.
Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s particular envoy to the Center East, has stated that Mr. Zelensky’s deferential posture after the blowup within the White Home has improved Ukraine’s standing with American officers. Nonetheless, the U.S. has paused military support for Ukraine.
Mr. Zelensky wrote on Saturday that he was “totally dedicated to constructive dialogue” and that he hoped to “focus on and agree on the required choices and steps” throughout his go to to Saudi Arabia. Mr. Rubio might be within the seaside Saudi metropolis of Jeddah for talks with Ukrainian officers from Monday by means of Wednesday, in accordance with the U.S. State Division, and was anticipated to fulfill with Prince Mohammed after arriving on Monday night.
Mr. Trump’s place on Russia and Ukraine has typically been hard to pin down. On Friday, he stated on social media that he was considering significant sanctions on Russia to assist power a peace deal on Ukraine. He demanded that the 2 international locations “get to the desk proper now, earlier than it’s too late.”
Hours later, he told reporters on the White Home that he felt talks with Russia have been going nicely and that he was “discovering it tougher, frankly, to take care of Ukraine.”
