Ukraine wants ‘constructive, friendly’ talks with the U.S. as they meet in Saudi Arabia

KYIV, Ukraine — Diplomatic teams from Ukraine and the United States are holding talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday in steps toward ending a full-scale war started by Russia in 2022.

It is the first meeting between Ukraine and the U.S. since President Trump and Vice President Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a televised shouting match in the Oval Office late last month.

Soon after that heated exchange, the Trump administration froze military aid and intelligence to Ukraine. Since then, Zelenskyy has been cultivating European ties and sending conciliatory messages to the White House. He sent his chief-of-staff, Andriy Yermak, to Jeddah to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz.

“We’re very open, and we want to have very constructive, friendly, partner conversation with our American partners,” Yermak told reporters in Jeddah. He did, however, add that security guarantees are “very important because we never want this aggression repeated in the future.”

The Jeddah talks are taking place after Ukraine and Russia launched massive drone strikes on each other’s territory.

This is a developing story that will be updated.