Officials from the U.S. and Ukraine will meet next week in Saudi Arabia to discuss a “framework” for a peace agreement and ceasefire for the war between Russia and Ukraine, a top Trump adviser said Thursday.
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House that the Trump administration is “now in discussions to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh or even potentially Jeddah.”
“So the city is moving around a little bit, but it will be Saudi Arabia. And I think the idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well,” he said.
When asked if the mineral deal with Ukraine will be signed when they meet next week, Mr. Witkoff noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to sign it and said, “we’ll see.”
Mr. Witkoff said it will be up to President Trump to decide if the flow of aid to Ukraine will start again after the meeting.
“I think those are all decisions of the president, but I think he felt that Zelenskyy’s letter was a very positive first step,” he said. “There was an apology, there was an acknowledgement that the United States has done so much for the country of Ukraine and a sense of gratitude.”
He said of the meeting, “I hope we get things back on track with the Ukrainians and everything resumes.”
A mineral deal with Ukraine was set to be signed last week when Mr. Zelenskyy was in the U.S. But after a contentious Oval Office meeting in which Mr. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance called into question Mr. Zelenskyy’s gratitude for billions in U.S. aid, their discussions ended abruptly and the mineral deal wasn’t signed.
The president made the decision to pause all aid to Ukraine on Monday.
Mr. Zelenskyy, who had originally said he wouldn’t apologize over the Oval Office spat, expressed regret in a lengthy X post Tuesday for how the meeting went.
“None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote. “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”
He also wrote that he views the mineral deal with the U.S. “as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively” and that he’s ready to sign it at any time.
Andriy Yermak, Mr. Zelenskyy’s top aide, said Wednesday that he had spoken with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and that a meeting has been scheduled “to continue this important work.”
“We discussed the next steps towards a just and lasting peace,” he wrote in an X post. “We also exchanged views on security issues and the alignment of positions within the framework of bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United States.”
