Zelenskyy, Rubio Arrive in Saudi Arabia Ahead of Crucial Talks on Russia-Ukraine War

State Secretary Marco Rubio says the U.S. seeks to understand Ukraine’s stance on resolving the war, including potential concessions it may be willing to make.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center L), meets with Prince Saud bin Mishaal, deputy governor of Saudi Arabia's Mecca region, (center R), and Saudi Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 10, 2025. Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, ahead of high-stakes talks between their delegations to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Zelenskyy stated on social media that he met with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday to discuss “bilateral matters and cooperation with other partners.”

The Ukrainian leader said they had a “detailed discussion” about the steps and conditions needed to resolve the war and achieve lasting peace. He said Saudi Arabia plays a vital role in facilitating diplomacy.

“I specifically emphasized the issue of the release of prisoners and the return of our children, which could become a key step in building trust in diplomatic efforts,” Zelenskyy stated. “A significant part of the discussion was dedicated to the formats of security guarantees.”

Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian delegation will remain in Jeddah for talks with U.S. officials scheduled for Tuesday, reiterating Ukraine’s commitment to constructive dialogue with the United States.

Separately, Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz also met with the Saudi Arabian crown prince and thanked him for hosting the upcoming talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the bilateral meeting focused on the threats posed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the situation in Syria, and reconstruction in Gaza. Rubio affirmed the U.S. stance that “any solution to the situation in Gaza must not include any role for Hamas.”

Before arriving in Saudi Arabia, Rubio told reporters that the United States seeks to understand Ukraine’s stance on resolving the war, including any potential concessions it might be willing to offer in the peace negotiations.

“What we want to know is, are they interested in entering some sort of peace conversation and sort of general outlines of the kinds of things they could consider, recognizing that it’s been a costly and bloody war for the Ukrainians,” Rubio said aboard a military plane to Jeddah.

“They’ve suffered greatly and their people have suffered greatly, and it’s hard in the aftermath of something like that to even talk about concessions. But that’s the only way this is going to end to prevent more suffering,” he stated.

Rubio said the two sides will need to reach an understanding before they can move toward a peace deal.

“I’m not going to set any conditions on what they have to or need to do. I think we want to listen to see how far they’re willing to go and compare that to what the Russians want and then see how far apart we truly are,” he said.

President Donald Trump has paused U.S. military aid to Ukraine amid his administration’s efforts to push for a peace deal to end the war. CIA Director John Ratcliffe announced on March 5 that Trump has also ordered a halt to intelligence cooperation with Ukraine.

Intelligence, including information from U.S. military satellites, had helped Ukraine to track Russian troop movements and select targets. Ratcliffe said the pause “on the military front and the intelligence front” was temporary.

The aid suspension came after a failed Feb. 28 meeting in the Oval Office on the U.S.–Ukraine minerals agreement, which was left in limbo. The meeting was meant to see the deal signed for U.S. investment to go into Ukraine to jointly develop the nation’s vast rare earth minerals resources in exchange for past and ongoing military aid from the United States.

Following the public argument between the two sides, Trump told reporters on March 9 that he believes talks this week between the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations over ending the conflict with Russia will “make progress.” When asked if he would consider ending the suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, Trump said, “We just about have. ... We really just about have.”

Chris Summers contributed to this report.