Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected in Saudi Arabia on Monday, with senior officials scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio the following day.
According to the daily, Kyiv aims to demonstrate a willingness to end the conflict after February’s contentious White House summit between Zelenskiy and President Donald Trump led to a halt in U.S. weapon deliveries and intelligence cooperation.
Ukrainian sources cited by FT say the new approach is designed to address U.S. criticisms that Kyiv refuses to negotiate. Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told the paper that Ukraine now prioritizes mending ties with Washington, rather than insisting on security guarantees before any ceasefire.
Proposed framework
Zelenskiy has floated a “framework agreement” with the United States to pave the way for follow-up accords on mineral resources and security guarantees.
A partial ceasefire would include halting aerial, naval, and infrastructure attacks, as well as prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children from Russia.
Ukraine hopes the U.S. will join any truce monitoring efforts, potentially verifying compliance with its satellite or intelligence assets.
However, FT reports that Trump officials plan to demand significant Ukrainian concessions in return for resuming military aid—including territorial compromise, early presidential elections, and even Zelenskiy’s resignation—according to NBC News sources.
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Source: PAP, The Financial Times, RMF24