Ukraine’s Zelenskyy lands in Saudi Arabia for peace talks after Russian drone strikes over the weekend
A day before peace talks is set to take place between the U.S. and Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The peace talks in Jeddah will come more than 10 days after an argument between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump during the Ukrainian president’s visit to the White House on Feb. 28.
After the argument Trump put a pause on military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine, Russia launched a slew of drone strikes against various Ukrainian cities.
These peace talks are hoped to lead to talks between Ukraine and Russia, as the U.S. works with both countries toward an end to the war.
Zelenskyy arrived on Monday to meet with Prince Mohammed, whose country has acted as a mediator since Russia’s invasion in 2022, per Reuters. The peace talks with the U.S. will take place on Tuesday.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine over the weekend
On Saturday night, Russia launched a wave of drone strikes on multiple Ukrainian cities. According to ABC, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 119 Shahed attack drones into the country.
At least 24 people were killed in the drone strikes. Impacts from the launch were reported in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Of the 119 drones Russia launched, 73 were shot down and 37 were lost in flight without causing damage, per ABC.
Ukraine launched its own long-range attack in Russia the same night, with Russia’s Defense Ministry reporting that it downed 88 Ukrainian drones in eight Russian regions.
Who will be at the peace talks between the U.S. and Ukraine?
Tuesday’s talks will be the first between the two countries since Zelenskyy’s visit ended in an explosive argument at the end of February, per Reuters.
Zelenskyy is not expected to play any formal role in the talks between his country and the U.S. The Ukrainian team for the talks will be led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak, who will be joined by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
The American team for the talks will be led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will also meet with Prince Mohammed, per the AP.
If Ukraine and the U.S. are able to reach an understanding that Trump approves of, that could accelerate his push for talks with Russia. The rest of Europe appear skeptical as they’ve been sidelined from the peace talks.
We continue working on the relevant steps with our partners who want peace, who want it just as much as we do,” Zelenskyy said Friday, according to the AP. “There will be a lot of work here in Europe, with America in Saudi Arabia — we are preparing a meeting to accelerate peace and strengthen the foundations of security.”
Rubio said that Tuesday’s talks will be important in establishing Ukraine’s intentions in ending the war, per BBC.
He added that Ukraine would “have to be prepared to do difficult things like the Russians are going to have to do difficult things to end this,” according to BBC.
Why are these peace talks taking place in Saudi Arabia?
The peace talks taking place in Jeddah are the result of a rebranding effort led by the country’s Crown Prince. The country is working to advertise itself as a place of meetings like the upcoming peace talks.
It was just about five years ago, that then presidential hopeful Joe Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah,” per NBC.
The prince is working to transform his country into “a regional giant built on diplomacy, business, tourism, entertainment and sports,” per NBC.
This is not the first major meeting held in the country this year. Saudi Arabia also hosted talks between Russia and the U.S. in February, and days later Arab leaders convened to discuss Trump’s “Gaza Riviera” proposal.
Trump also recently announced that his first foreign visit of his second term would be to Saudi Arabia.
