Ukraine, US to discuss ceasefire efforts in Saudi Arabia without Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not take part in the upcoming meeting between Ukrainian and American delegations in Saudi Arabia on March 11, as his participation was never planned, as announced by Fox News journalist Jacqui Heinrich on X.

She clarified that Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud on March 10. Following that, his team will remain in Jeddah to engage with US representatives.

“Zelenskyy initially did not plan to attend. Earlier, an erroneous report by the CBS television station was circulated,” Heinrich emphasized.

High-ranking officials from the United States and Ukraine are set to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss efforts toward a ceasefire in Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia.

This meeting will be the first high-level engagement between US and Ukrainian officials following last week’s tense exchange between former US President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. The confrontation triggered a major diplomatic crisis, leading to the suspension of US military aid and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.

The upcoming discussions in Riyadh follow a separate meeting between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago. Ukrainian leaders only learned about that meeting through media reports, which caused frustration in Kyiv, as Ukraine was not invited to participate.

The decision to hold the talks next week was made during a phone call on March 5 between White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, according to a source.

The meeting, expected to take place in Riyadh, will include White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with Waltz. On the Ukrainian side, Yermak will lead the delegation.

Speaking in Brussels on March 6, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine and the US had “resumed work” and expressed optimism that the upcoming meeting would be “meaningful.”