Zelenskyy heads to Saudi Arabia ahead of crunch US talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is travelling to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, ahead of talks between Ukrainian and US officials on ending the war with Russia at an increasingly precarious moment for Kyiv.

The United States, once Ukraine's main ally, has upended its wartime policies in its stated pursuit of a rapid end to the fighting, engaging directly with Moscow while cutting off military assistance and intelligence sharing for Kyiv.

Zelenskyy is expected to meet the Saudi crown prince, whose country has played various mediating roles since Russia's 2022 invasion, including brokering prisoner exchanges and hosting talks between Russia and the United States last month.

Tuesday's talks between US and Ukrainian officials, the first official meeting since a disastrous Oval Office encounter between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump, are expected to focus on a bilateral minerals deal and how to end the war.

Under huge pressure from Trump, who wants the war ended at lightning speed, Zelenskyy has been at pains to show they are on the same page, despite failing to win US security guarantees that Kyiv sees as vital for any peace deal.

Zelenskyy has said he will not attend Tuesday's talks with US officials and that the Ukrainian delegation will include his chief of staff, his foreign and defence ministers and a top military official in the presidential administration.

"On our side, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue, and we hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps," Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

"Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively."

US officials said they were planning to use the meeting with the Ukrainians in part to determine whether Kyiv is willing to make material concessions to Russia to end the war.

"You can't say 'I want peace,' and, 'I refuse to compromise on anything'," one of the officials said of the upcoming talks.

A second US official said: "We want to see if the Ukrainians are interested not just in peace, but in a realistic peace."

Trump said on Sunday that he expected good results out of the upcoming talks, adding that the United States had "just about" ended a suspension of intelligence sharing with Kyiv.