Ukraine President heads to Saudi Arabia ahead of US talks

KYIV:  President Volodymyr Zelensky travels to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, ahead of talks between Ukrainian and US officials on ending the war with Russia.

The United States, once Ukraine’s main ally, has upended its wartime policies in its stated pursuit of a rapid end to the fighting, engaging directly with Moscow while cutting off military assistance and intelligence sharing for Kyiv.

Zelenskiy is expected to meet Mohammed bin Salman, whose Saudi Arabia has played various mediating roles since Russia’s 2022 invasion, including brokering prisoner exchanges and hosting talks between Russia and the United States last month.

The talks on Tuesday between US and Ukrainian officials – the first official meeting since a disastrous Oval Office encounter between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump – are expected to focus on a bilateral minerals deal and how to end the war.

Zelenskiy has said he will not attend the talks with US officials and that the Ukrainian delegation will include his chief of staff, his foreign and defence ministers and a top military official in the presidential administration.

“On our side, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue, and we hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps,” Zelensky said in a post on X. “Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively.”

Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been arranging the talks, has said the idea was to “get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well”.

Zelensky has called for a truce in the air and at sea, as well as a prisoner exchange, in what he says could be a test of Russia’s commitment to ending the war.

Moscow has rejected the idea of a temporary truce, which has also been proposed by Britain and France, saying it was a bid to buy time for Kyiv and prevent its military collapse.

The Ukrainian leader has also said Kyiv was ready to sign the minerals deal with the US that would create a joint fund from the sale of Ukrainian minerals, and which Washington says is crucial to secure continued U.S. backing.

With US support in question, Zelensky has been urging his European allies to ramp up their support as Kyiv’s battlefield position deteriorates and it faces mounting pressure to retreat from Russia’s Kursk region.

Russia has launched 1,200 aerial guided bombs, nearly 870 attack drones and more than 80 missiles at Ukraine in the past week alone, Zelensky has said.