Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia to push for ceasefire ahead of crunch US peace talks
10 March 2025, 16:54
The Ukrainian president has arrived in Saudi Arabia on the eve of vital peace talks between Ukrainian and US officials hosted in the country, which he won’t attend.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after arriving in Jeddah.
He will not attend the talks between American and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday, at which Ukraine is widely expected to push for a ceasefire in the sky and sea.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken to Donald Trump, saying he “hoped there would be a positive outcome” to the talks.
The summit will be hosted by Saudi Arabia, which has set itself up as a mediator between the US, Russia and Ukraine on multiple occasions.
All eyes will be on the outcome of those talks, which are expected to be quite a tense affair, coming a little over a week after the disastrous meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump in Washington.
A move many described as an "ambush", the tense White House exchange on February 28 descended into chaos in front of the world's media, and has led to a schism between Ukraine and the US.
Trump warns Zelensky ‘you’re gambling with World War Three’
After the meeting, the US paused military aid and the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine, as Trump accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful to the US.
So the talks come at a vital moment for Kyiv, who has heavily relied on US backing and aid in its defence against Russia.
They are expected to focus on a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, as well as the minerals deal between the US and Ukraine.
Keir Starmer spoke to the US president for about 20 minutes, reiterating his support for a lasting peace and hoping the talks ‘have a positive outcome’.
He also expressed his support for a restarting of US aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
“The two leaders also spoke about the economic deal they had discussed at the White House and the Prime Minister welcomed the detailed conversations that had already happened to move this forward,” the Downing Street statement added.
Earlier, Trump had said the intelligence pause for Ukraine was ‘just about lifted’, after his envoy Steve Witkoff claimed the US had never shut off intelligence for "anything defensive that the Ukrainians needed".
It comes as intense Russian bombardment has killed more than 25 people since Friday, according to Ukrainian sources, as the war shows no immediate signs of slowing down.
