Ukrainian and US officials met behind closed doors for hours of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to find a path towards ending the war with Russia, after Kyiv’s forces launched their largest drone attack on Moscow of the war overnight.
Ukrainians and anxious allies watched for any signs of an improvement — or further deterioration — in Kyiv’s troubled transatlantic ties after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s disastrous talks with US President Donald Trump last month.
Under Trump, Kyiv’s one-time staunchest ally has upended its policy on the war and piled pressure on Ukraine, declining to provide security guarantees as part of any peace deal, while pausing military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters en route to the talks in Jeddah that the meeting would be important to gauge if Ukraine is willing to make concessions to reach peace.
More than three hours into the meeting, Mike Waltz, the US national security adviser, emerged for a break with Rubio and told reporters: “We’re getting there.”
Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy’s chief of staff who is leading the Ukrainian delegation, said earlier that the meeting had “begun very constructively”.
“Dear Americans, dear Ukrainians, don’t waste this chance. The whole world is watching you in Jeddah today. Good luck!” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X.
Three dead in drone attack on Moscow
As the diplomacy plays out, Ukraine’s battlefield positions are under heavy pressure, particularly in Russia’s Kursk region where Moscow’s forces have launched a push to flush out Kyiv’s troops, which had been trying to hold a patch of land as a bargaining chip.
Ukraine overnight launched its biggest drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region yet, showing that Kyiv can also land major blows after a steady stream of Russian missile and drone attacks, one of which killed 14 people on Saturday.
The attack, in which 337 drones were downed over Russia, killed at least three employees of a meat warehouse and caused a short shutdown at Moscow’s four airports, Russian officials said.
Ukraine said its drones struck an oil refinery near Moscow and a facility in Russia’s Oryol region, while Hungary said crude oil shipments via Russia’s Druzhba pipeline were suspended following the attack.
