New glimmer of hope: Ukraine and USA negotiate in Saudi Arabia!

After a tense conflict between the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj and the US President Donald Trump, who was held in front of the cameras, there are relationships between Ukraine and the USA. On March 11, 2025, the two nations meet in Saudi Arabia to make a restart of their conversations. According to krone.at , this exchange proves to be productive, since a member of the Ukrainian delegation reports that the conversations are "very constructive" about a partial weapon rest. Against the background of the stuck situation between the countries, the Ukrainian colonel Andrij Jermak is optimistic that a peace agreement is in prospect.

The negotiations in Dschidda, where Saudi Arabic Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Selenskyj had previously discussed the basics for a comprehensive peace, was listed by Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, including alongside security advisor Mike Waltz and the special sent Steve Witkoff, as Zeit.de reported. Trump himself had put pressure on Ukraine by warning in view of the need for territorial concessions to Russia in order to achieve a quick war. Despite these demands, Selenskyj remains in his attitude: he demands security guarantees from the USA for any concessions. These discussions face the challenge that both sides are aware: military solutions are no longer an option, instead diplomatic approaches have to be pursued.

core questions of the negotiations

At the center of the talks, the question is whether Ukraine is willing to make concessions to Russia in order to end the conflict -plagued war. Selenskyj has traveled to Saudi Arabia, but does not personally take part in negotiations with the US representatives. So far, he has not planned an official conversation with Rubio, but did not rule out an informal meeting. On Monday afternoon, Selenskyj refers to possible trust formation measures, such as the publication of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children to improve the climate of the conversation. These approaches should also underpin the conversations about a first ceasefire and pave a way to a peace agreement. The situation remains tense because both Ukraine and Russia adhere to its maximum demands, which does not make progress in the negotiations easier.