Saudi Arabia is to host talks between delegates from Ukraine and the US on Tuesday.
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy |
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Photo: AP
Days after the US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's fiery TV debate and week-long showdown, Zelenskyy is set to travel to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is to host talks between delegates from Ukraine and the US on Tuesday, reported AP.
If the plan goes smoothly, it will be the first Ukraine-US meeting since the presidents of the two countries quarrelled in the Oval Office on February 28.
What's Are These Talks And Where This Taking Place?
Zelenskyy stated that he plans to visit Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
"I will be travelling to Saudi Arabia to meet with the Crown Prince. Following this, my team will remain there to engage with our American partners. Ukraine is committed to achieving peace," Zelenskyy shared on Telegram.
He further added, "Ukraine and the US have resumed discussions, and we anticipate a productive meeting next week."
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According to the Associated Press, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry identified the location of the talks in a statement on Friday as the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.
While it is not clear why the Saudi government is choosing Jeddah to host these diplomatic talks.
The Foreign Ministry said the kingdom would continue to pursue "a lasting peace to end the Ukrainian crisis."
"The kingdom has continued these efforts over the past three years by hosting many meetings on this matter," the ministry said, as quoted by the Associated Press.
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Who Will Attend The Meeting?
Apart from President Zelenskyy, US Special Envoy from the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will be travelling to Saudi Arabia to represent Trump at the talks.
Witkoff told media outside the White House, "We are now in discussion to coordinate a meeting with Ukrainians in Riyadh or even potentially Jeddah."
"I think the idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well," he added.
How Will This Development Impact On Larger World?
According to the reports, Donald Trump is committed to preventing war by negotiating some sort of peace agreement. His approach to Ukraine has so far relied more on the stick than the carrot—limiting their access to intelligence and weapons.
Trump just threatened additional penalties on Russia for its ongoing bombardment of Ukrainian cities, further demonstrating his accommodative stance towards Putin.
It could help his administration in negotiations if Ukraine and the US can come to an agreement that Trump can accept. But since they were left out of the negotiations, the rest of Europe is dubious.
Last week, the EU decided to set aside hundreds of billions of euros to strengthen the security and defences of the continent.