Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit Saudi Arabia next week for a scheduled meeting between Ukrainian and US delegates. If the plan goes through, it will mark the first meeting between Ukraine and the US since their presidents clashed at the White House on February 28. US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful for US aid and unwilling to end the war in Ukraine, and no new meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump will be held in Riyadh.

Zelenskyy had planned to travel to Saudi Arabia in February but canceled his trip when a Russian and US delegation announced their meeting in Riyadh on February 18. Zelenskyy said that decisions on ending the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine, and Ukraine was not invited to the Russian-American meeting. Ahead of his visit, he has announced that he plans to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and reiterated Ukraine’s interest in peace. Trump has also announced that Saudi Arabia will be the first country he visits in his second term in office.

Ukrainian and US experts believe that the negotiations between the US and Saudi Arabia, and the planned investment of a billion dollars by Saudi Arabia in the US economy, suggest that Saudi Arabia’s geopolitical significance is being increased. The Ukraine-US meeting in Saudi Arabia will be of a technical nature but is essential for understanding further steps by the US regarding Ukraine. Some observers believe that an agreement granting the US access to rare earths in Ukraine could be on the table, while some experts think the US may pressure Ukraine to make territorial concessions, although Kyiv has not shown itself ready to do so yet.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/what-can-ukraine-expect-from-talks-with-us-in-saudi-arabia/a-71868297?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf