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LAST UPDATE | 6 Mar
UKRAINE AND THE US are set to return to negotiations next week in Saudi Arabia, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said he would travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday and his team would stay there to hold talks with US officials.
“I am scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with the crown prince,” said Mr Zelensky, referring to Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the throne of the oil-rich kingdom. “After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with American partners. Ukraine is most interested in peace.”
He added: “As we told President Trump, Ukraine is working and will work exclusively constructively for a quick and reliable peace.”
Earlier, US envoy Steve Witkoff said he planned to travel to Saudi Arabia to speak to Ukrainian envoys about a ceasefire with Russia and a “framework” on a longer agreement.
Zelenskyy left last week’s contentious White House meeting without signing an agreement demanded by Donald Trump in which Ukraine will hand over much of its mineral wealth to the United States.
In an prior statement posted to social media this evening, Zelenskyy said that that Kyiv was ready to sign a deal at “any time and in any convenient format”.
I am grateful for all the support, and Ukrainians really appreciate that in a time of such great emotions in global politics, European integrity is preserved and Europe is truly trying to do the right thing. Meanwhile, Ukrainian and American teams have resumed work, and we hope…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 6, 2025
On the US side, the White House’s Middle East envoy Witkoff said Donald Trump felt a letter sent by Zelenskyy – in the wake of last week’s verbal confrontation in the White House – was a “very positive first step” to resolve tensions.
“We’re now in discussions to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh, or even potentially Jeddah,” Witkoff told reporters.
“The idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well,” he said.
Asked if Ukraine would sign the deal during talks in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff said, “I think Zelensky has offered to sign it, and we’ll see if he follows through.”
Ukraine’s minerals have formed a large part of talks with the US, but tonight Zelenskyy signalled what else his side might seek to ensure they can have confidence in any truce.
Zelenskyy said “basic trust” needed to be established between Ukraine and Russia to ensure any peace deal can be accepted.
“The release of prisoners could serve as a means of establishing basic trust,” he added, explaining that his country needs to “feel that the Russians are not deceiving us” in negotiations.
Ukrainians “truly want peace” Zelenskyy said, “but not at the cost of giving up Ukraine” in the process. He further questioned if “Russia is capable of giving up the war” on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy welcomed some of the moves taking place in Europe, including the EU’s plans to rearm Europe, calling it “the right initiative” in a statement this evening.
He said the continent should become the heart of “where the most technologically advanced and effective weapons in the world” are produced.
“Ukrainian and American teams have resumed work, and we hope that next week we will have a meaningful meeting,” Zelenskyy said.
Earlier, it emerged that around twenty countries have held talks with the UK about being part of a potential “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine during a ceasefire, according to a British official.
The meeting comprised of “largely European and Commonwealth partners” and took place yesterday, the official added, refusing to specify which nations took part.
In a lengthy post, the Ukrainian leader said the continent should become the heart of “where the most technologically advanced and effective weapons in the world” are produced.
Britain’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron have been leading efforts to form a group of countries prepared to help enforce a ceasefire in the event of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
The pair have said they are ready to deploy troops to ensure that a ceasefire is preserved, with the US providing security backup as a ‘backstop’ plan.
A UK official has said discussions about how countries might contribute to a potential coalition were still in the “early stages”.
“Of course, we welcome the increased engagement we are receiving from these European and Commonwealth partners,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Asked about the prospective ‘coalition of the willing’ as he arrived at today’s emergency emergency EU summit, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he had told Keir Starmer when they met in Liverpool last night that Ireland was “willing to do whatever we possibly can to help”.
He reiterated that Ireland would consider being part of a peacekeeping mission that involved monitoring duties but would not be part of “a deterrent force, which is more longer term”.
He added: “We don’t have that military capability, and it would be of a different order.”
Martin cited the Defence Forces’ decades of experience forming peacekeeping missions around the world, particularly in Lebanon. Over 30,000 Irish troops have been deployed to the Middle Eastern country under the United Nations’ Unifil mandate since 1978.
The Taoiseach has arrived - he was busy this morning at the UK-Ireland summit in Liverpool... pic.twitter.com/Y7uZ0RTEVT
— Daragh Brophy (@DaraghBroph) March 6, 2025
Asked about EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s multi-billon euro plan to supercharge the EU’s defence capabilities, billed as ‘ReArm Europe’, Martin indicated that many of the measures would be of interest to states in Eastern Europe in particular.
The defence plan is on the agenda at today’s gathering of the 27 heads of government at the European Council summit.
€150 billion of loans for defence investment would be made available under the plan, and members would also be able to repurpose so-called ‘cohesion’ funds – intended for the development of poorer European countries – for defence purposes.
Ireland, Martin said, doesn’t avail of much cohesion funding at the moment.
“This really primarily will help other member states across Europe who will need that flexibility in their fiscal frameworks and will need these mechanisms to increase their spending on defence, and particularly some countries who feel very vulnerable at the moment in terms of the Russian threat.”
Martin joined his EU colleagues at the Brussels meeting this afternoon, after attending events with Starmer as part of Ireland-UK summit meetings this morning and last night.
Zelenskyy held meetings with von der Leyen, Macron and other European leaders around the sidelines of the summit earlier.
The Ukrainian President thanked the EU’s leaders for their show of support at the summit. “We are very thankful that we are not alone – and these are not just words, we feel it,” Zelenskyy told reporters.
He described von der Leyen’s defence plan for Europe as a “great decison”.
Starmer, who is trying to act as a bridge between Europe and the United States, told Sky News today that he’s working to “get the US, Ukraine and European allies onto the same page”.
With reporting by Eoghan Dalton and PA
Want to know more about what’s happening in Ukraine and why? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.
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