Ukraine's Zelensky arrives in Saudi Arabia ahead of summit with US Secretary of State.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on March 10, 2025. His team is scheduled to meet America's top diplomat, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
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Zelensky's visit to Saudi Arabia comes on the eve of separate, high-stakes meetings between Ukrainian and US officials. The Ukrainian president met Prince Saud bin Mishaal, the deputy governor of Saudi Arabia's Makkah region, and Saudi Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi in Riyadh.
However, Zelensky did not meet Rubio during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
The summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is aimed at undoing the damage caused by Zelensky's February 28 visit to Washington, which degenerated into an argument with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. It led to the suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing by the United States for Ukraine.
Ukraine's team, which includes Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andriy Tsybiha and Defense Minister Rustam Umarov, will attend the meeting with Rubio and his team. The Ukrainian delegation is expected to propose a limited ceasefire covering the Black Sea and long-range missile attacks, as well as the release of prisoners.
Ukrainian officials are also set to sign a deal with the United States for access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals during the talks.
Rubio said he and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz would take stock of Ukraine's responses and that it was important to come out of the meeting with a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to "do hard things" - just like the Russians.
The European Union has expressed skepticism over the change in the US stance on Ukraine and agreed to free up hundreds of billions of euros to boost the continent's safety and security in response to the Trump administration's policy change.
Zelensky has said that Ukraine has been seeking peace since the opening seconds of the war and that the only reason the war continues is Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Ukraine should decide whether it wants peace and that the US is waiting for Ukraine's demonstration of its desire for peace. Zelensky's visit to Saudi Arabia and the upcoming summit with US officials are important steps in addressing the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The talks are aimed at establishing Ukraine's intentions and confirming its readiness to engage in peace talks, which could possibly lead to the resumption of military assistance and intelligence sharing from the United States.