# US and Ukraine continue negotiations after marathon day of peace talks

Senior US and Ukrainian officials have held marathon crunch talks in Saudi Arabia focused on ending the war with Russia, aiming to build confidence despite a personal crisis between Donald Trump and .

Although the two presidents were absent, Zelenskyy sent his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, while Trump dispatched his secretary of state, , and the US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, to Jeddah.


Emergency workers treat injured civilians from a building damaged by Russian shelling in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

The talks, held in an opulent room provided by the Gulf state, were focused on agreeing on a one-month ceasefire in the air and at sea, if  agreed to the same, during which time further discussions could take place on a more lasting end to the fighting.

The offer, which Zelenskyy has floated publicly before, was designed to show the Americans that Ukraine is bringing constructive proposals to the table.

Rubio, on his flight out, said Washington’s main aim was to see if Kyiv was “prepared to do difficult things, like the Russians are going to have to do difficult things, to end this conflict or at least pause it in some way, shape or form”.

The stakes could not be higher for Ukraine, with the prospect of US military aid and intelligence sharing being restarted if the talks go well. Trump cut off that critical support after the  in which he and his vice-president, JD Vance, rowed with Zelenskyy in front of the world’s media. Members of the US administration have suggested repeatedly that Zelenskyy should hold elections or step down.

Domestically, Zelenskyy’s flagging ratings were boosted by his dressing down in the White House, and most Ukrainians say they would not want elections while the war continues. However, while there is anger at Trump’s demands, there is a strong feeling that, given the difficult situation at the front and exhaustion after three years of war, the Ukrainian president should make every effort to mend relations with the White House.

Since the debacle in Washington, Ukraine has sought to flatter Trump, to prevent a peace plan from being forced upon it. Writing  before the talks started, Yermak complimented a “strong American leadership” but said “a peace must be found that is both just and sustainable”.

Trump’s interest in Ukraine has initially focused on a money-making scheme in which Kyiv would hand over a proportion of the country’s mineral wealth to the US. It is not clear if that deal will be agreed in Jeddah.

After the US president dropped support for Ukraine, European governments rallied behind the country, promising funds and military aid, but they have also put pressure on Zelenskyy to repair ties with the superpower.

The Guardian understands that British and French officials were particularly key in advising Kyiv on how best to put their position to the Americans. Jonathan Powell, an adviser to the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, is in regular contact with Yermak and visited Kyiv over the weekend. Yermak said the visit was part of “joint work with partners to develop a plan for achieving a just and lasting peace” before the Saudi summit.


Putin response to peace plan ‘not good enough’, says UK, as international militaries prepare to meet in London – as it happened

The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said contacts between Russia and the US were now quite intensive, the RIA news agency reported.

It remains to be seen how ready Russia is for any peace deal, even in the current scenario in which the Trump team seems to be requiring more sacrifices from Kyiv than Moscow.

On Tuesday, Putin’s spokesperson said the signals from Washington were causing many in Moscow to rejoice, but added there should not be premature celebration.

“You always need to hope for the best but still be prepared for the worst, and we should always be ready to defend our interests,” Dmitry Peskov said at a conference, in comments reported by Russia’s Kommersant newspaper. “Many people are rushing to put on rose-tinted spectacles and are saying that the Americans will now stop providing weapons or have already done so, that Musk will turn all the communications systems off, and everything will work out for us. But it will work out for us anyway.”

Peskov said Moscow expected the US would inform Russia about the talks with Ukraine, the Russian state news agency Tass reported.

On the battlefield, Moscow has seized the moment to launch a recent offensive in the Kursk region of western Russia, where it is trying to eject the Ukrainian army.
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