U.S. and Ukraine eye critical minerals agreement in Saudi talks
Steve Witkoff, the White House's special envoy for the Middle East, mentioned on Monday that he hopes a resources agreement with Ukraine will be reached this week. He added that he anticipates positive outcomes from Tuesday’s discussions with the Kyiv delegation in Saudi Arabia.
Representatives of the U.S. and Ukraine will hold talks on Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The meeting will be held in the same location and follow a similar format as the February meetings between the U.S. and Russian delegations. The Russian side will not participate in the talks.
The U.S. delegation will include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Steve Witkoff. The Ukrainian side will be represented by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha, Presidential Office Chief Andrij Jermak, Defence Minister Rustem Umierov, and Deputy Presidential Office Chief Pawlo Palisa.
Witkoff stated in an interview with Fox News that the United States expects significant progress during these talks with the Ukrainian delegation and hopes to sign an agreement on “critical minerals.”
When questioned about the possibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveling to Washington this week to finalize the agreement, he expressed strong optimism, stating that all indications were highly favorable.
Witkoff announced in the interview that the issue of providing Ukraine with U.S. intelligence data will be discussed at this week’s meeting. He also stated that the U.S. has never suspended intelligence cooperation with Ukraine regarding its "defence needs."
According to Reuters, the talks will also cover the issue of providing Ukraine with U.S. intelligence data, security guarantees for its citizens, and territorial issues.
Trump is counting on “major progress”
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States has “almost” ended the suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine and anticipates good results from the U.S.-Ukraine delegation talks on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. As reported by Reuters, when asked on board Air Force One, on his way back from Florida to Washington, whether he is considering ending the suspension of intelligence support for Ukraine, Trump said: “We just about have. We just about have.”
The American president also said he is optimistic about the talks between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha. I believe that we will make significant progress this week — said Trump, expressing confidence that Kyiv will sign an agreement with the U.S. on exploiting Ukraine’s mineral resources. - They will sign an agreement on minerals, but I want them to want peace. They haven’t shown it to the extent they should have — Trump noted.
