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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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One of Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky's top advisers said talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia to end the war with Russia have started "very constructively."
"The meeting started very constructively. We are working," said an X post by Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky's presidential office.
Yermak shared a video showing the opening of the meeting in Jeddah, which included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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Why it Matters
The two sides are seeking to make progress toward a deal that would end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow launched in February 2022 and has cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
The Trump Administration sees the war as a vast waste of life and money, much of the latter at American taxpayers' expense through military aid for Ukraine's defense. It is seeking a swift end to the fighting through a peace deal.
U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia are an important step in this direction if Washington can use them to bring Kyiv closer to compromises that would get Russia to stop fighting.
What to Know
President Donald Trump has held several conversations with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and believes the Russian president is ready to make peace.
But Trump has criticized the Ukrainians in recent weeks, saying he does not believe they are prepared to stop fighting. Ukraine wants a clear security guarantee to deter Russian aggression down the line, but the U.S. wants to discuss that later.
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These tensions came out in the open during a fraught Oval Office meeting between Zelensky and Trump, though the Ukrainian leader has sought to repair relations since. Trump paused military aid and intelligence sharing to put pressure on Kyiv to compromise.
Ukraine is hoping progress in the Saudi talks will once again unlock some of these vital resources for its defense against Russia, which continues to pound Ukrainian cities. On the eve of the talks, Ukraine launched its largest drone attack of the war against Russia.
A critical minerals deal that was supposed to have been signed already—which will give the U.S. a future stake in high-value Ukrainian resources—may finally get over the line after its agreement was set back by the tensions.
What People Are Saying
Yermak posted on X, formerly Twitter, earlier on Tuesday morning: "The team is on site. Getting ready to work.
"Protecting Ukrainian interests, a clear vision of ending the war, and working effectively with our American partners.
Rubio told reporters on his flight, per the Associated Press: "I'm not going to set any conditions on what [the Ukrainians] have to or need to do.
"I think we want to listen to see how far they're willing to go and then compare that to what the Russians want and see how far apart we truly are."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, per the Russian state-owned news agency RIA: "There are no negotiations yet. So far, the Americans, in their own words, are trying to understand how much Ukraine is ready for peace talks. There are no negotiations yet, so there is nothing to disrupt here yet."
What Happens Next
Updates from Jeddah will outline the outcome of the U.S.-Ukraine talks and the specific points that are agreed, if any, between the delegations—including if the critical minerals deal will go ahead.
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