US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday for US-Ukraine talks, as President Donald Trump seeks to broker a quick end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
In Jeddah, Mr. Rubio will also meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to discuss ways to advance shared interests in the region and strengthen bilateral relations, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said, according to A2.
According to the State Department, Secretary Rubio "underlined President Trump's determination to end the war as soon as possible and emphasized that all parties must take steps to ensure a lasting peace" in a call Friday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Afterwards, a Ukrainian diplomatic and military delegation led by Mr. Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, will stay in Saudi Arabia for talks with American officials.
The Ukrainian team will also include Chief Diplomat Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Military Commander Pavlo Palisa.
The American delegation going to Jeddah for talks with Ukrainian officials, in addition to Mr. Rubio, will also include US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Mr. Witkoff told reporters that "the idea is to reach a framework for a peace agreement as well as an initial ceasefire."
The US-Ukraine talks will take place three weeks after senior US officials held talks with Russian officials in Riyadh.
Ukraine said it is "fully committed" to constructive dialogue with the US and hopes to "discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps."
"Ukraine has wanted peace from the first second of this war. Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively," Mr Zelenskiy said on the social media network X on Saturday.
G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting
Following his visit to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Rubio will travel to Charlevoix, Canada, for the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers' meeting from March 12 to 14.
In a joint statement following talks in Munich during the Security Conference in February, G7 foreign ministers stressed their commitment to helping "achieve a lasting peace" and "reaffirmed the need to develop strong security guarantees" for Ukraine.
"Any new sanctions after February should be linked to whether the Russian Federation engages in real and good faith efforts to bring a lasting end to the war against Ukraine," the joint statement added./ Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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