
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, ahead of the Arab League summit, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. — Reuters
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Ukrainian President Wolodmeer Zelannsky will visit Saudi Arabia to meet Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday (today), who is just before important talks between Ukraine and US officials on efforts to end the war with Russia.
The visit comes at a time when Kiev faces the growing challenges in his fight against Moscow.
The United States, once the basic ally of Ukraine, has significantly changed its position of war, and has preferred a rapid solution to the conflict. Washington has begun to engage directly with Moscow, while simultaneously preventing military assistance and intelligence sharing with Kiev, which has made Ukraine’s location more complicated.
During his visit, Zillsky is expected to discuss diplomatic and strategic issues with the Saudi Crown Prince. Saudi Arabia has played an active role as a mediator since the Russian invasion in 2022, which has helped prisoner exchange and hosted talks between Russia and the United States last month.
Talks between US and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday – First official meeting between Zelinski and US President Donald Trump’s disastrous contest – is expected to focus on bilateral mineral agreements and ways to end war.
Under Trump’s a lot of pressure, who wants to eliminate war at the speed of electricity, Zilnsky has suffered to show that he is on the same page, yet US has failed to obtain security guarantee that Kiev is very important for any peace deal.
Zillski has said he will not attend talks with US officials on Tuesday, and that the Ukrainian delegation will include his chief of staff, his foreign and defense ministers and a top military official in the presidential administration.
“On our behalf, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue, and we hope that we will discuss and agree with the necessary decisions and actions,” Zillsky said in a post on X.
“Realistic suggestions are on the table. The key is to move forward quickly and effectively.”
US officials said they are planning to use the meeting with Ukraine to find out if Russia is willing to give material privileges to end the war.
An official said about the upcoming talks, “You ‘want peace’ and, ‘I can’t refuse to compromise on anything’.”
Another US official said: “We want to see if Ukraine people are interested in peace, but also in realistic peace.”
Trump said on Sunday that he was expected to result in good results from the upcoming talks, adding that the United States had eliminated the suspension of intelligence sharing with Kiev.
Framework for an agreement
Trump’s special envoy Stevekov, who is organizing talks, said the idea was to “download a framework for a peace deal and an early ceasefire”.
Zlinski has demanded a prisoner exchange in the air and in the sea, as well as a prisoner exchange, according to which he could test Russia’s commitment to end the war.
Moscow has rejected the idea of a temporary war, which the British and France have also suggested, saying it has bid to buy time for Kiev and to stop its military elimination.
Zelinsky has also said that Kiev is ready to sign a mineral agreement with the United States, which will create a joint fund with the sale of Ukrainian minerals. Washington says it is very important to continue our support.
With the US support, Zelinsky is urging its European allies to increase their support as Kiev’s battlefield position is deteriorating and it is facing increasing pressure to withdraw from Russia’s Kursi region.
Open Source Maps shows that Ukrainian troops entering the region last summer have almost surrounded by Russian forces.
Russia has a fifth of the Ukraine region, including Crimea, which it linked in 2014, and its troops are also pressing in the East Donetsk region, which has promoted drones and missile strikes on cities and towns far from the front.
Zillsky has said that Russia has launched a 1,200 aerial guide bomb, about 87 870 attack drones and more than 80 missiles in Ukraine last week.