Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism today about a planned meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia. But Rubio added that many details of the rare earth minerals deal between Washington and Kiev had not yet been worked out. Rubio made the comments on his way to the Saudi city of Jeddah, where he and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz will meet with a high-level Ukrainian delegation on Tuesday. Rubio said Washington is trying to get a general idea of what concessions Kiev is willing to make. VOA correspondent Veronica Balderas Iglesias brings us more details about the talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for talks with a Ukrainian delegation, reports A2.
The aim, as stated in an official statement, is "to advance President Donald Trump's objective of ending the Russia-Ukraine war."
The visit comes days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent President Trump a conciliatory letter, following the heated meeting between the two leaders at the White House on February 28.
Last Friday, President Trump made comments about the status of peace negotiations.
"We are making progress with Russia, but right now they are heavily bombing Ukraine. And frankly, with Ukraine, I am having a hard time getting along, at a time when they have no cards in their hand," Mr. Trump said.
As a form of pressure to bring the parties to the negotiating table, President Trump has cut off military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev, while threatening Russia with sanctions and tariffs.
Analysts say reaching an agreement is important for President Trump from a political point of view.
"He (Donald Trump) has essentially bet his presidency on reaching some kind of agreement. And I don't know what's going to happen because there are so many 'players' (actors) with different positions in these negotiations, whether it's Russia, Ukraine, or the European Union," says William Pomeranz, of the American Kennan Institute, a research institute that conducts studies on Russia, the former Soviet republics and their relations with the rest of the world.
Ahead of talks between the United States and Ukraine in Jeddah that are expected to last until March 12, Kiev supporters gathered in Washington on Saturday as Ukrainian officials denounced a series of Russian attacks over the weekend against Ukrainian targets in Donetsk, among other regions./ Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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