US to assess Ukraine's willingness to make concessions for peace at talks in Saudi Arabia — Reuters

The United States plans to use a meeting with a Ukrainian delegation scheduled for 11 March in Saudi Arabia to assess Kyiv's readiness to make possible concessions to Russia in order to end the war.

According to Reuters, citing two anonymous US officials, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the US delegation to the talks in Jeddah.

The Ukrainian delegation will be led by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak. Marco Rubio is expected to be joined by White House National Security Advisor Mike Volz and US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

According to sources, Washington wants to find out whether Ukraine is ready to make material concessions for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. In addition, the US side sees the meeting as an opportunity to assess Kyiv's readiness to establish relations with the Trump administration, especially after the tense meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents last month.

One US official said: «You can't say «I want peace» and at the same time refuse to compromise».

Another US official stressed the importance of realistic approaches to a peaceful settlement: «We want to understand whether Ukrainians are interested not just in peace, but in a realistic peace. If they insist only on the 2014 or 2022 borders, it says something».

It should be noted that during his speech to Congress, US President Donald Trump said that he had received a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to Donald Trump, the letter states that Ukraine «is ready to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring a sustainable peace», as well as to sign an agreement on minerals.

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was ready to sign a minerals agreement between Ukraine and the United States at any time and in any convenient format.

It should also be recalled that Donald Trump ordered the suspension of all military assistance to Ukraine, increasing pressure on President Zelenskyy.

At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasised his readiness to meet with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, if he receives an invitation to «a constructive dialogue».