US-Ukraine talks on Russia to kick off today in Saudi Arabia

Talks between the United States and Ukraine, aimed at mending a frosty relationship and ending the three-year conflict with Russia, will begin Tuesday.

Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, will lead a delegation to Saudi Arabia for the talks.

The oil-rich nation had hosted US and Russian officials last month for the first round of the peace process.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived a day earlier for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Zelensky said he would not attend Tuesday’s deliberations with US officials. Instead, Andrii Yermak, his chief of staff, as well as the foreign and defence ministers, and a top military official in the administration, will hold the fort.

“We hope for practical outcomes,” Zelensky tweeted. “Ukraine’s position in these talks will be fully constructive.”

This will be the first meeting of US and Ukrainian delegations after a contentious meeting at the White House between US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelensky.

The disrupted meeting saw Zelensky escorted out of the Oval Office, Trump freezing military aid to Ukraine, and a public display of appreciation from the Ukrainian leader.

It is also Ukraine’s first official involvement in the peace talks that Trump brokered with Russian officials — a move that drew the ire of Zelensky and other European leaders who said they had been left out.

It is believed that Ukrainian officials will propose a partial ceasefire across air and sea with Russia, an idea Zelensky mooted on social media last week after an overnight Russian missile and drone attack killed 14 people and injured dozens more.