The senior American and Ukrainian officials plan to meet next week to discuss the first stages of an agreement that could seek the end of the war in Ukraine, after a week of American move in the process of questioning their support for the country.
President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky, from Ukraine, confirmed the meeting, which should take place in Saudi Arabia.
The planned meeting was announced just under a week after an oval office explosion between the two men in which Mr. Trump attacked Mr. Zelensky as Ingrat for American support and threatened to abandon Ukraine in his fight against the invasion of Russia. Trump then paused helps Ukraine.
Since then, Mr. Zelensky has expressed his regrets in general terms on the way in which this meeting took place, and the two parties showed the will to sign an agreement in which the United States would share the revenues of mineral resources in Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian and American teams have resumed work, and we hope that next week, we will have a significant meeting,” Zelensky said in a statement.
Mr. Zelensky said that Ukraine would send a delegation to meet “military representatives from countries who are ready to make greater efforts to reliably guarantee security as part of this war”. He said that the meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, but had not specified who would attend.
Russian officials met last month with Trump’s senior officials in Saudi Arabia, Russia reported an opening to talks, although he did not say if she would accept a cease-fire or an agreement to end the war.
Among European leaders, there is a doubt to know if they can serve as a ultimate security net for Ukraine if America abandons the country torn by the war. The Trump administration has suspended military assistance and intelligence with Ukraine this week in order to put kyiv to negotiate its conditions, although it has not underlined any specific peace plan.
Outside the White House on Thursday, Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s special envoy in the Middle East, told journalists that negotiations would take place in Saudi Arabia.
“We are now in discussion to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh or even potentially Jeddah; The city moves a little, “said Witkoff. He added: “The idea is to bring down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well.”
Witkoff said that Mr. Zelensky’s comments after the Oval Office confrontation, praising Mr. Trump’s leaders, had helped Ukraine ‘status with America. Last Friday, Trump and Vice-President JD Vance taught the Ukrainian president for not having shown enough gratitude for the United States of more than $ 100 billion in military support.
“He estimated that Zelensky’s letter is a very positive first step,” said Witkoff, adding: “President Zelensky demonstrated that he was intentional on this path in good faith. He apologized. He said he was grateful. He said he wanted to work towards peace.” Mr. Witkoff added that he thought that Mr. Zelensky was willing to sign controlled by the United States which would receive revenues from natural resources from Ukraine.
At next week’s meeting, Zelensky said the Ukrainians would insist on a number of Russia’s commitments to test if lasting peace could ultimately be reached. These requests include Russian commitments not to attack Ukrainian energy or other civil infrastructure; A truce for missiles, bombs and long -range drones; And no military operation in the Black Sea.
“The Ukrainians really want peace, but not at the cost of abandoning Ukraine,” said Zelensky. “The real question for any negotiation is whether Russia is capable of abandoning war.”
Moscow did not give any public indication that it would accept a truce, a cease-fire or the end of the war which it launched three years ago. But Witkoff said that Russia had shown the opening up to continuous discussions.
Among the talks with Ukraine, Mr. Witkoff said: “I hope it will be a good signal for the Russians because they were also proactive by wanting to do something here.”
Addressing journalists from the Oval Office, Trump noted that France was willing to put soldiers in Ukraine “for security reasons”; The country suggested bringing together a European peacekeeping force after the end of the war. He also said that American negotiators had “made a lot of progress with Ukraine and a lot of progress with Russia in the past two days”.
He also expressed his optimism as to a possible peace agreement.
“I think what will happen is that Ukraine wants to conclude an agreement because I don’t think they have a choice,” said Trump. “I also think that Russia wants to conclude an agreement because in a way different – a different way that I do not know that I know that I have no choice.”
