Ukraine and US cautiously engage in talks amidst high stakes
Optimism surrounded President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington for discussions with Donald Trump. However, Crimean political scientist Nedim Useinov, an expert at The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), notes that Tuesday’s meeting with the American delegation in Saudi Arabia is being approached with greater caution.
Representatives of Ukraine and the USA began discussing the issue in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. This is the first meeting of officials from the two countries since the disagreement between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of February in the White House. The Ukrainian president arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday evening but is not part of the talks with the American delegation.
The Ukrainian delegation includes, among others, the head of the president's office, Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio leads the American delegation, which expressed optimism about the talks in Jeddah. "I mean, we wouldn't [be] coming if we weren't," Rubio remarked.
Zelensky, meanwhile, expressed hope for "practical results" in a post on platform X.
"We hope for practical outcomes. Ukraine's position in these talks will be fully constructive" - Zelensky emphasised in a post on platform X.
"Expectations will be greater"
As Nedim Useinov notes in an interview, less emotion and more pragmatism should allow for concrete outcomes from Saudi Arabia.
Expectations for a breakthrough in Ukraine are high. At least some small, specific steps should be taken so that the parties can announce the agreement on several points. After the discussions in Saudi Arabia, further talks are anticipated.
He adds that there was more hope during President Volodymyr Zelensky's trip to Washington to meet with Donald Trump.
Tuesday's talks with the American delegation in Saudi Arabia are being greeted with more caution. However, the political scientist from Crimea expects the Ukrainian president to have higher expectations.
In his view, the Ukrainian delegation will first seek to unblock American military aid, the transmission of intelligence data, and satellite imagery.
- Zelensky instructed his government to ascertain Washington's position on these issues officially. The initial reciprocal signals from the American administration have reached Kyiv. The White House suggested that Ukraine must show goodwill during the talks, and Zelensky should be genuinely interested not merely in sitting down at the table but, more importantly, in wanting to end the war, says Nedim Useinov.
According to the political scientist, the Ukrainian delegation will aim to dispel Washington's doubts and demonstrate their willingness to engage in dialogue.
- After emotional exchanges from both sides, it is time for practical actions and steps, emphasizes.
Before the talks in Saudi Arabia, Steve Witkoff, the White House's special envoy for the Middle East and a member of the American delegation, mentioned that the meeting would include, among other topics, an agreement with Ukraine on the exploitation of its resources, intelligence cooperation, security guarantees, and territorial issues.
- The terms of the resource agreement will likely be discussed. But will both sides sign a contract on this matter? I doubt it. It's too early to discuss territorial concessions. Kyiv will not agree to cede its territories before bringing Russia to the negotiating table. That's not how negotiations are conducted, believes Nedim Useinov.
