Ukraine proposes its own ceasefire agreement in talks with the US in Saudi Arabia, and aims to sign a “rare earth mineral” contract with Washington to resume military aid that was suspended after tensions between Zelensky and Trump.
A Ukrainian delegation is set to meet with top American diplomats in Saudi Arabia on ending a three-year war with Russia.
The delegation proposed a ceasefire covering the Black Sea and long-range missile strikes, and also said the release of prisoners on Monday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also told The Associated Press that the Ukrainian delegation is ready to sign an agreement with the US on access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
Kiev is trying to fix the damage that was made when Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky fell into a live debate in an oval office with Trump and Vice President JD Vance when he visited Washington on February 28th.
Attacking the crisis is the military aid and intelligence reporting agency previously provided by the United States, which had helped Ukraine in the war but Washington had suspended for a peace deal.
Rubio and Zelensky landed in Jeddah a few hours apart, but they were not expected to meet. Both were to meet separately with the powerful crown prince of the kingdom on Monday evening.
Speaking to reporters on his plane, Rubio said he and national security adviser Mike Waltz would evaluate Ukraine’s response in Saudi Arabia.
If Ukraine and the United States reach an acceptable understanding of Trump, it could accelerate his administration’s push for peace talks.
Rubio: We really see how far we are
“What we want to know is that they are interested in getting into some kind of conversation of peace and a general overview of the kinds they can consider, and they recognize that it is a costly and bloody war for the Ukrainians. They are suffering so much, their people suffer a lot,” Rubio said. “And in the aftermath of such things, it’s hard to even talk about concessions, but that’s the only way to end and prevent more suffering.”
He added: We want to see how far they go, compare it to what the Russians want, and see how we are really far apart. ”
Zelenskyy said the team meeting with Rubio will include his Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Rubio will lead the US team.
Europe is skeptical of talks
The rest of Europe is skeptical of consultations as Washington stands on them.
Last week, the European Union agreed to boost the continent’s defense and to free hundreds of millions of euros for security in response to the changing Trump administration’s stance on Ukraine.
White House envoy Steve Witkov told Fox News on Monday that the suspension of US intelligence news sharing with Ukraine is not limited to sharing “defense information.”
“We will not block our intelligence because of the defensive things that Ukrainians need,” Witkov said.
A suspension to share the Ukrainian military’s intelligence that can be used for attack purposes remains in effect, according to US officials familiar with issues that are not permitted to comment on terms of anonymity and are not permitted to speak.
Officials suggested that progress could be made towards reviving intelligence sharing with Ukraine during Saudi Arabia’s speech.
