A Ukrainian delegation preparing to meet with the top U.S. diplomat in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the three-year conflict with Russia will propose a temporary cease-fire in the Black Sea and a halt to long-range missile strikes, as well as the release of prisoners, two senior Ukrainian officials said.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of Tuesday's meeting, also told The Associated Press that the Ukrainian delegation was prepared to sign an agreement with the United States on access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals, a deal sought by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The officials discussed confidence-building measures without going into detail ahead of the Ukrainian team's upcoming talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jeddah.
Kyiv is trying to repair the fallout from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington on February 28, which ended in a conflict in the Oval Office between him, Mr. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
At stake is military support and intelligence that the United States previously provided to help Ukraine in the conflict but is now on hold as Washington pushes for a peace deal.
Mr. Rubio and Mr. Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, close together, although their meetings were not scheduled. Mr. Zelensky was scheduled to meet the kingdom’s powerful crown prince on Monday evening. Mr. Rubio also planned to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking to reporters on board his plane, Mr. Rubio said he and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz would review Ukraine's response to the situation in Saudi Arabia.
If Ukraine and the United States reach an agreement acceptable to Mr. Trump, it could help his administration move toward peace talks.
“We want to see if they are interested in starting some kind of peace discussions and what kind of common framework they can look at, recognizing that this has been a costly and bloody war for the Ukrainians. They have suffered a lot of losses and their people have suffered a lot,” Mr. Rubio said.
“After such events, it is difficult even to discuss concessions, but this is the only way to end the conflict and prevent further suffering.”
He added: “I'm not going to put any conditions on what they should or shouldn't do. I think we want to hear how much they're willing to compromise and then weigh that against what the Russians want and see how far apart we really are.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
