The White House has listed the negotiations in Saudi Arabia with Ukraine and Russia as one of U.S. President Donald Trump's key achievements on his 50th day in office on March 10.
"President Trump has brought Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table through historic peace talks in Saudi Arabia in pursuit of peace," the statement reads.
U.S. officials met with Russian representatives in Riyadh on Feb. 18 and in Istanbul on Feb. 27 to discuss restoring bilateral relations and preliminary peace talks, excluding Ukraine. These discussions were followed by a Ukraine-U.S. meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11.
Trump's overtures to Russia have raised concerns in Kyiv and Europe that the U.S. is sidelining its allies in pursuit of a swift settlement. Tensions between Kyiv and Washington have only escalated after Trump's heated exchange with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Feb. 28.
Trump subsequently froze all U.S. military aid and restricted intelligence sharing with Ukraine, aiming to pressure Kyiv into peace talks.
Meeting U.S. delegates in Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian officials are expected to push for the resumption of U.S. support while proposing a ceasefire in the air and at sea as a first step toward a broader peace agreement.
Trump said earlier that he is considering imposing sweeping banking sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and peace deal are reached.
The U.S. president claimed his position is based on the fact that Russia is "absolutely pounding" Ukraine, likely referring to Russian advances in Kursk Oblast or the large-scale missile and drone attack on March 7.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
