Ukraine-US talks in Saudi Arabia enter fifth hour: Latest updates

Contents

• Start of the negotiations
• First statements about the talks
• What the parties said before the talks

Start of the negotiations

At 11:38 a.m. Kyiv time, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, wrote on his Telegram account that the negotiations between the Ukrainian and American delegations had begun.

“The meeting with the US team began very constructively, we are working to bring a just and lasting peace closer,” the head of the OP said a little later.

Ukraine's representatives in the discussions are:

• Yermak (head of the delegation);
• Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha;
• Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov;
• Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa.

The American delegation includes:

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio;
• National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

First statements about the talks

After about three hours of discussions, Ukrainian and American officials took a break. The first round of talks was over.

In response to journalists' questions, Waltz briefly said that the talks between Ukraine and the United States were “getting there.” He did not disclose any details.

Meanwhile, Yermak wrote on his Telegram that the work is in progress.

Photo: Ukraine and the US meeting in Saudi Arabia (t.me/ermaka2022)

Daria Zarivna, advisor to the head of the Presidential Office, emphasized that “everything is going on constructively.”

What the parties said before the talks

Before the talks began, both Ukrainian and American officials voiced their expectations of the meeting.

Steve Witkoff, the US President's Special Envoy for the Middle East, said that the American side wanted to discuss with Ukraine the framework of a peace agreement, as well as the conditions for a ceasefire between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers.

Rubio expressed hope that the meeting would clear the pause in US military aid to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the parties would discuss two key topics during the meeting: the path to peace and bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United States.

In February, American officials met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia. Their talks lasted about 4.5 hours.

Sources: statements by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Daria Zarivna, US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.