Senior Trump administration officials are planning a meeting with their Ukrainian counterparts in Saudi Arabia next week, to begin discussions about a cease-fire to end the country’s war with Russia.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff, who confirmed Thursday that planning was underway, will be part of the U.S. delegation alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
“The idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and initial cease-fire,” Witkoff told reporters outside the White House.
Another administration official, granted anonymity to discuss plans that are not yet public, confirmed that the meeting has been under discussion and is “possible.” One aspect of the meeting that remains unsettled, Witkoff said, was the city in Saudi Arabia where the meeting could take place.
Zelenskyy confirmed the meeting on X, reiterating that “Ukraine is most interested in peace.” The Ukrainian leader did not say he would participate in the talks, but instead said his team would remain in Saudi Arabia after a pre-planned visit between Zelenskyy and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The meeting would be the first high-level, in-person engagement between the U.S. and Ukraine since last Friday’s disastrous Oval Office meeting, where President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and scuttled plans to sign an economic agreement to share profits from Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
Since that public breakdown, Trump and aides have signaled that Zelenskyy would have to demonstrate a willingness to negotiate a truce with Russia in order for the U.S. to reengage.
Witkoff said Thursday that another visit to Washington could still come. ““There is a path back, and President Zelenskyy has demonstrated that he is intent on that good faith path back,” he said.
The path briefly seemed clearer when Trump appeared to soften his public rhetoric on the wartime president during his Tuesday night address to Congress, lauding Zelenskyy for penning “an important letter” expressing gratitude for the U.S.’ support and promising to “work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”
But the administration continued amping up the pressure on Kyiv this week by pausing all military aid to Ukraine as well as intelligence sharing.
Four senior Trump allies have also held secret meetings, first reported by POLITICO, with some of Zelenskyy’s top political rivals amid growing calls from Trump allies for Ukraine to hold presidential elections. Elections have been on hold while the country remains under martial law, with some critics arguing that launching an election during the country’s upheaval could strengthen Russia’s hand.
Trump’s recent shift away from European allies and increasing alignment with Russia — which the Kremlin has gleefully embraced — has prompted panic from European leaders, who have been scrambling to respond to the upheaval of the global security order. European Union leaders kicked off an emergency meeting in Brussels on Thursday, pushing to replace U.S. military aid in the wake of Trump’s cuts.
