Saudi Arabia is set to host negotiations between US and Russian officials regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine in Jeddah next Sunday.
The Kingdom hosted a high-level meeting between American and Russian diplomats in Riyadh in mid-February, followed by talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah on March 11, 2025.
The US-Ukraine talks resulted in an agreement on “an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire” pending Russia’s acceptance. However, Moscow proposed a limited ceasefire on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Jeddah Ceasefire Talks
On Tuesday, the US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that talks on a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war will resume on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Saudi Arabia.
During an interview with Fox News, Witkoff said that talks on a ceasefire deal “will begin on Sunday in Jeddah.” The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, will lead the US delegation in Jeddah, according to Witkoff.
Trump-Putin Call
Witkoff’s remarks came after a call between Trump and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday. According to Reuters, Putin agreed to halt strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities for 30 days, but refused the US-proposed 30-day full ceasefire.
After the call, the Kremlin said that the Russian President ordered the military to stop attacks against Ukrainian energy sites. Meanwhile, Trump praised his call with Putin. “We had a great call. It lasted almost two hours,” the US President told Fox News.
Moreover, Trump said that he agreed with Putin to work quickly to secure a ceasefire that leads to a long-term peace agreement. “Many elements of a Contract for Peace were discussed, including the fact that thousands of soldiers are being killed, and both President Putin and President Zelensky would like to see it end,” the US President wrote in a social media post after the call.
Ceasefire Prospects
According to the White House, the ceasefire talks will discuss a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and a permanent peace deal. “Up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects – the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium on firing – and today we got to that place, and I think it’s a relatively short distance to a full ceasefire from there,” Witkoff told Fox News.
Following the Trump-Putin call, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that his country would support the limited ceasefire proposal that Putin suggested. “Our side (would) support this,” he said during an online briefing, according to Reuters.
Saudi Arabia Mediation Efforts
Saudi Arabia has played an active mediation role to end the Ukrainian crisis as it maintains balanced relations with all sides. The Kingdom hosted the crucial US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah on March 11, upon the directives of the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman.
The talks come as part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to “resolve the crisis in Ukraine and leverage its balanced relations with all parties,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. They also align with the Kingdom’s efforts to “enhance global security and peace, and based on its belief in the importance of adhering to international laws and norms.”
Furthermore, the talks come as part of the Kingdom’s belief that “dialogue is the only path to resolving disputes and bringing perspectives of both sides closer to achieve productive results that contribute to global security and peace,” the statement added.
On February 18, 2025, Riyadh hosted the historic US-Russia talks, which aimed to set the stage for a Trump-Putin summit, in order to restore ties between both countries and end the conflict in Ukraine. Both Trump and Putin expressed their gratitude to the Saudi Crown Prince for hosting the productive peace talks between the US and Russia.
