Rubio says the US wants to hear what concessions Ukraine is willing to make at Saudi meeting

The United States wants to hear what concessions Ukraine would be willing to make in negotiations to end the war with Russia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said ahead of a high-stakes meeting between the two nations on Tuesday.

The United States wants to hear what concessions Ukraine would be willing to make in negotiations to end the war with Russia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said ahead of a high-stakes meeting between the two nations on Tuesday. “We really want to sort of ascertain where they stand on this and what they’re willing to do in order to achieve peace,” Rubio told reporters on Monday. The discussions in the Saudi port city of Jeddah comes as the relationship between Washington and Kyiv is at its lowest point since Russia launched its full-scale invasion three years ago. Following a contentious Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the US announced a “pause” on military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. Russia has continued its deadly barrage of attacks against Ukraine in the time since that suspension was put in place. The move followed weeks of antagonism by Trump towards Zelensky that has seen the US president repeat Kremlin talking points blaming Kyiv for the war and after Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff sat down in Riyadh with a high-level Russian delegation – and without Ukrainian participation. Speaking Monday, Rubio said the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting “will be key” to whether the pause in military aid and intelligence sharing is lifted. “I think if we emerge there with a good meeting that we feel good about and can report back to the president, then I think decisions will be made in regards to the pause,” he said.