U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday for U.S.-Ukraine talks as President Donald Trump pushes to broker a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine war, despite Russia’s latest massive aerial attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
While in Jeddah, Rubio will also meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to discuss ways to advance shared interests in the region and strengthen the U.S.-Saudi relationship, said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
According to the State Department, Rubio has “underscored President Trump’s determination to end the war as soon as possible and emphasized that all sides must take steps to secure a sustainable peace” in a Friday call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the Gulf kingdom for a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. But he may not attend Tuesday’s talks with the U.S. officials.
On Tuesday, a Ukrainian diplomatic and military delegation led by Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, will remain in Saudi Arabia for talks with U.S. officials. The Ukrainian team will also include Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and military commander Pavlo Palisa.
Rubio will join U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz for the Jeddah talks with Ukrainian officials.
A senior State Department official told traveling press that “the fact that they (Ukrainian officials) are coming here (Saudi Arabia) at senior levels is a good indication to us that they want to sit down and they’re ready to move forward.”
U.S. officials have said the goal for Tuesday’s talks is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire.
The U.S.-Ukraine talks will take place three weeks after senior U.S. officials held talks with Russian officials in Riyadh.
Ukraine said it is “fully committed” to constructive dialogue with the U.S. and hopes to “discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps.”
“Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war. Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
G7 Foreign Ministers
Following his visit to Saudi Arabia, Rubio will travel to Charlevoix, Canada, for the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers’ meeting from March 12 to 14.
In a joint statement following talks on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February, G7 foreign ministers underscored their commitment to helping “achieve a durable peace” and “reaffirmed the need to develop robust security guarantees” for Ukraine.
“Any new, additional sanctions after February should be linked to whether the Russian Federation enters into real, good-faith efforts to bring an enduring end to the war against Ukraine,” the joint statement added.
(Text courtesy: Nike Ching/Voice Of America/IBNS)
