Top , U.S. , and Ukrainian authorities sat down for a while in talks with Saudi Arabia , under the guise of a potential peace deal with Moscow , under the strain from , Washington , on , Kyiv , to give in.
The top adviser to the Russian president, Andriy Yermak, said on Tuesday on the X software,” The meeting started very constructively. He had stated to reporters before the conversations in the Royal city of Jeddah that the Ukrainian part wants to” a just and lasting peace in Ukraine” and that it is “ready to go for this goal.”
Ahead of the conference, U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated that he was interested in finding out what concessions Ukraine was willing to make to secure a deal with Russia.
Before he arrived in Saudi Arabia, Rubio said,” The most important thing we have to keep these with is a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to do hard stuff, like the Russians are going to have to do hard things to stop this conflict.” The conversations with Russians are meant to “establish plainly their intentions.”
After his presidency suspended military supplies and most intelligence help, the United States sent Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Andrii Sybiha to match with his country’s defense and foreign ministers,  , Rustem Umerov, and other members of their delegations.
Waltz claimed that the deals were “getting there” when investigators inquired about them during a break.
The U.S. government has tied restoring critical support to Ukraine and the United States, demonstrating a devotion to a political solution to the conflict that started in andnbsp, February 2022. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has supported a strategy for a temporary end to air strikes and coastal problems that were suggested by France and the U.K.
Prior to the discussions, Yermak said,” Security offers are extremely important,” adding that Ukraine andnbsp, both countries, made efforts to guarantee” that this hostility will never be repeated in the future.”
According to Bloomberg, Russia is willing to accept a ceasefire in exchange for progress on the wide conditions of a potential peace agreement, including for a peacekeeping mission. After the U.K. and France offered to help forces to a” coalition of the willing,” the Kremlin has rejected the presence of NATO and NATO forces.
Individuals with knowledge of the situation said that Trump is quickening efforts to end the conflict in , Ukraine, by sending envoy Steve Witkoff  to , Moscow  this week to join with President Vladimir Putin. Although Witkoff’s job title is” Middle East negotiator,” he would make his next appearance as Trump’s member, according to the people who asked not to be identified while discussing personal discussions.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, warned against “putting on rose-tinted glasses” over the , U.S. , about-turn in withholding help to , Ukraine, according to the state information service Tass.
Possible compromises
Rubio stated prior to Tuesday’s meeting that the , U.S. , was” simply trying to get a general feeling of concessions are in the realm of the possible and what they would have in return.” He claimed that the U.S. and the Russians had finally learn how far apart they were from each other.
According to Cliff Kupchan, chairman of the New York-based consultancy , Eurasia Group, the , U.S.  , is likely to want to set off its bid to add the , North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and accept some strict restrictions on its army and weapons.
Russian power of roughly 20 % of the Ukrainian territory it has occupied would also need to be a part of any agreement, Kupchan claimed, though it would not have any legal identification.
This may raise questions among traditional and U.S. ally, supporters in and around Europe that Trump is willing to accept a bargain on Russia’s terms as he works to restore ties to the Kremlin.
Kupchan, a former senior at the State Department and formal under President Bill Clinton, said,” They want the Russians to be on board with the peace that Trump wants.” They will be making some efforts to support Putin’s place.
Trump claimed last week that agreements with Russia and Ukraine were “easier.” According to those with knowledge of the debate, his presidency is drafting plans to lower sanctions imposed on Russia and the United States as a result of the conflict, including a cap on the price of its oil.
Rubio told investigators on the way to , Jeddah , on Monday that a potential natural-resources deal with , Ukraine , which Trump has portrayed as a condition to mend relations with , Kyiv , would not be the main topic of discussion during Tuesday’s meeting.
Zelenskyy had a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, on Monday before U.S. and U.S. speaks started.
Felipe Bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Minister, was also present on Tuesday at the tables along with the delegations from the U.S., the UAE, and Ukraine.
Russia and the United States fought off the biggest aircraft assault on its country during the three-year conflict ahead of the , Jeddah , deals.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that it dumped 343 unmanned aerial vehicles immediately, including 91 over the funds area. According to the Interfax news agency, three people were killed in the region’s Moscow and the place. Eventually, the Ukraine General Staff confirmed in a speech posted on Telegram that it was responsible for the attack.
___
© 2025 Bloomberg L. P.
distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
