Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, ahead of critical discussions between Ukrainian and US officials regarding efforts to end the war with Russia amid mounting challenges for Kyiv.
The United States, previously Ukraine’s strongest backer, has shifted its wartime stance, engaging directly with Moscow while suspending military aid and intelligence support to Kyiv.
During his visit, Zelenskiy is expected to hold talks with Mohammed bin Salman, as Saudi Arabia has played a key mediating role since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Riyadh has previously facilitated prisoner exchanges and recently hosted discussions between Russian and US officials.
The upcoming meeting between US and Ukrainian officials, the first since Zelenskiy’s tense Oval Office encounter with US President Donald Trump, will focus on a potential minerals agreement and strategies to bring the conflict to an end.
Under significant pressure from Trump, who seeks a rapid resolution to the war, Zelenskiy has been striving to align with Washington’s position, despite not securing US security guarantees that Kyiv deems crucial for any peace settlement.
Zelenskiy has stated that he will not personally attend the talks with US officials. Instead, the Ukrainian delegation will be led by his chief of staff, along with the foreign and defense ministers and a senior military official from the presidential administration.
“We are fully committed to a constructive dialogue and aim to discuss and finalize the necessary steps and decisions,” Zelenskiy wrote on X. “There are realistic proposals on the table, and the key is to act swiftly and effectively.”
Path Toward a Peace Agreement
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has been facilitating the negotiations, emphasized that the goal is to “establish a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire.” Zelenskiy has proposed a temporary truce in the air and at sea, along with a prisoner exchange, as a way to test Russia’s willingness to end the conflict.
However, Moscow has dismissed the idea of a ceasefire, a proposal also backed by Britain and France, arguing that it would only serve to buy time for Ukraine and delay its potential military collapse.
Additionally, Ukraine has expressed readiness to sign a minerals agreement with the United States, which would establish a joint fund from mineral sales. Washington sees this deal as vital for maintaining ongoing US support for Kyiv.
With US assistance uncertain, Zelenskiy has been urging European allies to increase their support, particularly as Ukraine’s battlefield situation deteriorates and its forces face growing pressure to withdraw from Russia’s Kursk region.
Ukrainian troops, who advanced into the Kursk region last summer, are now nearly encircled by Russian forces, according to open-source intelligence. Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Russian forces are also intensifying their offensive in the Donetsk region, launching frequent drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities far from the front lines.
Zelenskiy reported that in the past week alone, Russia has deployed approximately 1,200 aerial guided bombs, nearly 870 attack drones, and over 80 missiles against Ukraine.
