Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
CNN —
A senior Ukrainian official has hailed the beginning of a new round of talks with the United States as a “constructive” start, offering a sense of relief to Kyiv following the tense public fallout between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky less than two weeks ago.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, who is leading the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, stated on Tuesday that “the meeting with the US team started very constructively.” He added, “We are working to bring about a just and lasting peace.”
The Ukrainian delegation, which does not include President Zelensky, is meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. Both Rubio and Waltz participated in direct talks with Russia the previous month.
As the meeting reached its fourth hour, both Rubio and Waltz were seen walking through the lobby at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Jeddah, where the discussions were ongoing.
In response to a CNN inquiry about the progress of the talks, Waltz simply replied, “getting there.”
Before the meeting, Rubio mentioned that the US aims to understand Ukraine’s position better and explore possible concessions Ukraine might be willing to make. He added that the US is currently “in listening mode.”
Yermak, however, refrained from discussing any specific compromises Ukraine might offer. He emphasized that security guarantees from the US are crucial to prevent Russia from repeating its aggression.
Security guarantees remain a key point of contention between the US and Ukraine. Kyiv has repeatedly stated that any ceasefire or peace agreement must be underpinned by Western security guarantees, given that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has historically violated agreements lacking such provisions.
Many of Ukraine’s Western allies, including European leaders, have supported this demand. However, the Trump administration has so far refrained from committing to concrete guarantees.
In related news, speaking at the European Parliament, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the urgent need to enhance Ukraine’s military supplies and provide solid security guarantees, condemning Putin’s repeated acts of aggression.
Yermak acknowledged that security guarantees may not be a primary topic at the current talks, stressing that the priority was to initiate the peace process. “We are very open, and we want to have constructive and deep conversations with our American partners,” he said.
Hours after the talks began, Russia reported a “massive” Ukrainian drone attack. Moscow’s defense ministry claimed it had downed 337 drones, with 91 of them targeting the Moscow region. At least three people were killed, and six others injured in the attack, marking one of the largest aerial assaults on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.
This attack is seen as a show of strength from Kyiv amid ongoing diplomatic talks.
The meeting in Jeddah marked the first direct engagement between Ukrainian and US officials since the US paused military aid to Ukraine following a heated exchange between Trump and Zelensky. President Zelensky later described the meeting as “regrettable” but affirmed Ukraine’s readiness to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict, although he did not apologize to Trump.
In his remarks before the meeting, Rubio did not specify the concessions he sought from Ukraine, but Trump has previously suggested that Ukraine might need to relinquish some territory. Ukraine has not indicated willingness to make such concessions.
Currently, Russian forces occupy nearly 20% of Ukraine’s territory, up from around 7% before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Millions of Ukrainians live under Russian occupation, particularly in the eastern regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, which Putin aims to fully control.
- Source CNN
