The US and Ukrainian officials have started their meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, reported the Kyiv Independent. The crucial talks aim to repair the strained US-Ukrainian relations and develop a framework for a peace deal to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
In the light of this, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, said: “The meeting with the US team started very constructively; we are working towards a just and lasting peace.”
Yermak is part of the Ukrainian delegation, which includes the Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha; Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov; and Zelensky’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Pavlo Palisa.
On Monday, Zelensky expressed optimism about the US-Ukraine talks. “We hope for practical outcomes. Ukraine’s position in these talks will be fully constructive,” he wrote on X.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday published a video footage on Telegram showing Ukrainian officials heading to the meeting.
Meanwhile, Yermak posted a video and photos on X showing the Ukrainian delegation meeting with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz.
The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and National Security Advisor, Musaed Al-Aiban, were also present at the meeting.
The US-Ukraine talks come after a tense meeting that turned into a public spat between Zelensky and the US President, Donald Trump, in late February.
On this matter, the former military advisor at the US State Department, Col. Abbas Dahouk, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US-Ukraine talks “play a decisive role in building trust and boosting diplomatic relations” between the two countries.
Dahouk added that these high-level discussions provide an opportunity to “clarify discrepancies, align strategic priorities and highlight the common goals” in addressing the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
