Who will come to the talks? On the American side, the US representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Witkoff is a longtime friend of Trump, whom he entrusted with the negotiations with Russia. In early February, he spoke with Vladimir Putin in Moscow for three and a half hours and “developed a friendly relationship with him.” Shortly after that, on February 18, the American delegation and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia.
The Ukrainian delegation will be led by the head of the Office of President, Andriy Yermak. He will be accompanied by his deputy Pavlo Palisa, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. President Volodymyr Zelensky will also visit Saudi Arabia — he will not take part in the negotiations, but will meet with the countryʼs Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the capital, Riyadh.
The Ukrainian delegation was helped to prepare for the talks by the United Kingdom. According to The Sunday Times, Jonathan Powell, an adviser to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, traveled to Ukraine over the weekend of March 8-9 to prepare Zelensky and his team. He also spoke with Michael Waltz and insisted that the United States should resume intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Starmer also discussed the issue with Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Andriy Yermak at a meeting with Jonathan Powell in Kyiv, March 8, 2025.
Ukraine will offer Russia a partial ceasefire, writes the Financial Times. It concerns strikes with long-range missiles and drones and hostilities in the Black Sea. Ukraine is also ready to sign an already agreed agreement on rare earth metals. Economist sources believe that in this way Ukraine will try to prove that it is ready to cooperate with the United States. Earlier, Donald Trump said that Ukraine does not want peace and that dealing with Russia is easier for him.
The Economistʼs interlocutors assume that Ukraine will demand security guarantees from the US, but is unlikely to receive them. The list of "peaceful" offers includes proposals that Ukrainians are not ready to accept — elections, recognition of the occupied territories as Russian, and a ban on arming.
The goal of the American delegation is to make sure that Ukraine is ready to cede territory for the sake of a “realistic peace.” Nothing is yet known about the concessions that the United States is pushing Russia to make. On the contrary, Bloomberg sources report that Trump’s advisers are already proposing to ease the restrictions on the price of Russian oil, which were introduced by the European Union and the G7 countries in 2022. An unnamed Ukrainian diplomat predicts that the United States will force Ukraine to cross its own “red lines” and make concessions even before the start of “serious negotiations” with Russia.
According to Trump, the American delegation will also meet with Russian diplomats this week. Russia denies this. It is not known who exactly was to participate in the US-Russian negotiations.
Trump at a meeting with reporters on March 9, 2025. He says that the Americans will meet with diplomats from both Ukraine and Russia. And after that, there should be "pretty good results."
Russia is ready for a ceasefire, but on its own terms, Bloomberg sources report. The Kremlin is against NATO troops in Ukraine and against European peacekeepers. But Putin has no objection to the military from “neutral in the conflict” China. Former US special representative for negotiations on Ukraine Kurt Volker believes that Russia will twist any proposal for a ceasefire to its advantage.
If the talks in Saudi Arabia fail, the US will double down on pressure on Ukraine and impose “whatever they agree with Russia,” anonymous Ukrainian officials told the Economist. They believe the talks in Saudi Arabia are the last chance to improve relations with the US.
Trump believes Ukraine will sign a ceasefire because it has no choice. And Russia will, for reasons known only to him. At a meeting with reporters on March 6, Trump said he was “strongly considering” new sanctions and tariffs against Russia, but has not yet imposed any.
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