Kiev [Ukraine], March 11: Today, March 11, US and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The US delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while the Ukrainian delegation includes Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Chief of Staff of the President Andriy Yermak. On March 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Saudi Arabia but is not expected to attend the dialogue with the US.
Reuters yesterday, March 10, quoted US officials as saying that the US would find out whether Ukraine was ready to make concessions to end the fighting and whether Kyiv was truly interested in " real peace ". President Zelensky said he was fully committed to constructive dialogue and expected to achieve results including "moving closer to peace and continuing support". Special envoy Witkoff said the US wanted to establish a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire agreement. Ukraine had proposed a ceasefire in the air and at sea, but Russia objected, saying it was a tactic to buy time to help Kyiv re-equip.
US President Donald Trump on March 9 expressed optimism about the dialogue and predicted that "a lot of progress" would be made. His administration recently stopped transferring weapons and sharing intelligence with Ukraine. However, White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said Mr. Zelensky had taken steps to restore bilateral relations after the dispute with Mr. Trump late last month.
Over the weekend, President Trump said he would restore intelligence sharing with Ukraine and said the country would struggle to survive without US aid. On the same day, billionaire Elon Musk affirmed that the Starlink internet satellite system would continue to operate in Ukraine and denied threatening to cut off the network to force Kyiv to negotiate.
In another development, the Russian and Chinese navies yesterday participated in the annual joint exercise "Security Belt" with Iran in the Indian Ocean region, off the coast of Chabahar city in southeastern Iran, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper