US-Ukrainian talks in Jeddah, Zelensky meets with Bin Salman

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that delegations from Ukraine and the United States had begun talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, two weeks after a White House meeting that saw a verbal exchange between the two countries' leaders. A video released by the ministry showed Ukrainian officials entering the meeting.

A senior Ukrainian official said that talks between the US and Ukrainian delegations in Jeddah are proceeding "well." The official, who requested anonymity, confirmed to AFP that "the talks are going well, and many issues were discussed."

For his part, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, who is leading his country's delegation to the talks, praised the "constructive" start to the meetings between the two sides, which are dedicated to discussing a settlement to the war between Moscow and Kyiv. In a Telegram post accompanied by photos of the meeting, Yermak said, "The meeting with the American team started very constructively. We are working to achieve a just and sustainable peace."

Earlier today, Yermak affirmed that his country wants peace and is ready to negotiate an end to the war, as he prepared to participate in talks with his American counterparts. "We are ready to do everything to achieve peace," he told reporters.

Earlier, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia said in a joint statement on Tuesday, following a meeting between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Ukrainian president, that the two sides discussed cooperation opportunities and Ukrainian reconstruction programs, welcoming the re-establishment of the joint business council between the two countries in 2025.

The statement added, "We affirm our determination to establish promising investment and economic partnerships in priority sectors for both countries, including energy and infrastructure." The statement also noted that the Saudi Crown Prince and the Ukrainian President reviewed efforts to achieve a "lasting, just, and comprehensive" peace in Ukraine.

For its part, the Russian news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Moscow expects the United States to brief Russia on the US-Ukraine talks taking place in Saudi Arabia today, Tuesday.

Sources told Reuters on Monday that Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, plans to visit Moscow this week to meet with President Vladimir Putin. Peskov said the Kremlin would provide information in due course about any contacts with Witkoff.

The Kremlin on Tuesday warned Russian citizens not to be fooled by the Trump administration's recent actions regarding Ukraine. Speaking at Moscow's Higher School of Economics, Peskov cautioned people against getting excited about the possibility of billionaire Elon Musk cutting off Starlink communications services to the Ukrainian military or Trump's decision to suspend military aid to Kyiv. "Don't rush to see this through rose-colored glasses," Peskov told the audience. "We always need to hope for the best, but at the same time prepare for the worst. We must always be ready to defend our interests."

Coinciding with the talks, Russia announced on Tuesday that it had retaken 12 towns and "more than 100 square kilometers" from the Ukrainian army in the Kursk border region, where its forces claimed to have made significant advances in recent days. A statement from the Russian Defense Ministry said, "During offensive operations, units of the 'North' group liberated 12 towns." The Ukrainian army said on Monday that it was "reinforcing" its forces fighting in this Russian region in the face of Moscow's rapid advance.

(AFP, Reuters, Anadolu, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed)