US and Ukraine to meet in Saudi Arabia after disastrous White House talks

First official meeting of two governments since disastrous Trump-Zelenskyy encounter comes as Russia intensifies attacks

US secretary of state Marco Rubio speaks with the media on his military airplane as he flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Monday, March 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

US and Ukrainian officials were to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks aimed at mending ties and gauging if Ukraine is willing to make concessions under President Donald Trump's push to end Russia's war with Ukraine swiftly.

Washington, Ukraine's main ally before Trump's inauguration in January, has upended its policy on the conflict to pursue a rapid end to the fighting. Trump has engaged directly with Moscow, stopped military assistance to Kyiv and paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, which Russian troops invaded at scale in 2022.