‘Meaningful’: Zelensky confirms US, Kyiv officials to meet in Saudi Arabia

Volodymyr Zelensky, who will be in Saudi Arabia but won’t take part in the talks between Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian officials, said Kyiv was working to reach a ‘fast and lasting’ peace.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff speaks to reporters. Picture: AFP.

Officials from the US and Ukraine will hold talks in Saudi Arabia over a potential ceasefire deal with Russia, with Volodymyr Zelensky expressing hopes it will be a “meaningful meeting.”

Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had confirmed the talks earlier and Mr Zelensky, who will be in the Gulf kingdom but won’t take part in the talks, said Kyiv was working to reach a “fast and lasting” peace.

“We’re now in discussions to co-ordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh, or even potentially Jeddah,” Mr Witkoff told reporters.

“The idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well,” he said.

Mr Witkoff said Mr Trump was pleased by a letter sent by Mr Zelensky in the wake of a verbal confrontation in the White House last Friday.

“He felt that Zelensky’s letter was a very positive first step. There was an apology. There was an acknowledgment that the United States has done so much for the country of Ukraine, and a sense of gratitude,” Mr Witkoff said.

Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the meeting accused Mr Zelensky of not thanking the United States sufficiently for billions of dollars worth of weapons since Russia’s invasion in 2022.

Mr Zelensky left without signing an agreement demanded by Mr Trump in which Ukraine will hand over much of its mineral wealth to the United States.

Asked if Ukraine would sign the minerals deal during the talks, Mr Witkoff said: “I think Zelensky has offered to sign it, and we’ll see if he follows through.”

The announcement came as Russia embarked on a war of words with France, after President Emmanuel Macron said he was considering extending France’s nuclear deterrent to other European countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Mr Macron’s suggestion was a “threat” and reaffirmed his country’s opposition to European forces being deployed in Ukraine if an accord was made to halt the conflict.

Mr Macron on Wednesday called Russia a “threat to France and Europe” and said France was “legitimately worried” about the United States shifting its position on the Ukraine conflict under US President Donald Trump.

The French leader said he would open a debate on extending France’s nuclear deterrent, following a phone conversation with Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“Of course it is a threat against Russia. If he sees us as a threat … and says that it is necessary to use a nuclear weapon, is preparing to use a nuclear weapon against Russia, of course it is a threat,” Lavrov said at a press conference.

In an apparent jab at France, Russian President Vladimir Putin said later: “There are still people who want to return to the times of Napoleon, forgetting how it ended.” French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded the Russian Empire in 1812 in a disastrous six-month military campaign that ended in Russian victory.

Mr Macron hit back at Mr Putin after a summit in Brussels on Thursday, branding the Russian president an “imperialist” who sought to “rewrite history”.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier Thursday Mr Macron was “detached from reality” and making “contradictory statements”.

Mr Macron also reaffirmed that European military forces could be sent to Ukraine if a peace accord was signed to guarantee “respect” of a deal.

Mr Lavrov said Russia was unwavering in its opposition to the deployment of European forces in Ukraine as peacekeepers, suggesting they would not be impartial.

“We see no room for compromise. This discussion is being held with an overtly hostile aim,” he added.

Russia would consider such troops in the same way as it would view a NATO presence in Ukraine, Mr Lavrov said.

Earlier, British officials held talks with about 20 countries interested in being part of a “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine during a ceasefire while France is expected to host a meeting of military chiefs of staff from nations ready to offer help. A source close to French President Emmanuel Macron said the country would host talks with military chiefs in Paris early next week.

The source said the meeting would take place on Tuesday in the presence of Mr Macron. Further details on the format of the meeting were not immediately available.

It will be held on the sidelines of the Paris Defence and Strategy Forum, organised over three days in the French capital by the defence academy of France’s famed Ecole Militaire military school.

A UK official said the country had held talks with “largely European and Commonwealth partners” on Wednesday, but refused to specify which nations took part.

The official said discussions about how countries might contribute were still in the “early stages”. The situation regarding efforts to end the war was “very fluid”, he noted.

“Of course, we welcome the increased engagement we are receiving from these European and Commonwealth partners,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“It’s positive engagement, but it’s early days.”

Britain and France are leading efforts to form a group of countries prepared to help protect a ceasefire in the event that agreement is reached to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flagged the potential deployment of Australian troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force.