Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the US and Ukraine will hold talks on ending the war in Saudi Arabia next week. In an address on Thursday, Zelenskyy said he would travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday, and his team would stay on to hold talks with US officials.
I am scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia: Zelenskyy
“I am scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with the Crown Prince. After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with American partners. Ukraine is most interested in peace,” Zelenskyy said. The announcement comes after a verbal spat between him and US President Donald Trump earlier this month derailed the Ukraine peace process.
However, Zelenskyy on Tuesday said that last week's Oval Office blowup with US President Donald Trump was “regrettable,” adding that he stands ready to work under Trump's “strong leadership” to achieve lasting peace.
Zelenskyy praises Trump's leadership
His remarks are being seen as an apparent effort to placate Trump, which came in a social media post on X, hours after the White House announced a pause in military aid to Ukraine that is critical to fighting Russia's invasion. He also said Ukraine is ready to sign a lucrative deal on rare-earth minerals and security with Washington.
In an apparent reference to Trump's criticism following the contentious White House meeting on Friday that Zelenskyy does not want a peace deal, the Ukrainian leader said, “None of us want an endless war.”
“Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” he said.
Ukraine, which depends heavily on foreign help to hold back Russia's full-scale invasion that began on February 24, 2022, has feared that aid could be stopped since Trump took office.
(With inputs from AP)
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