Description: Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy arrived in the city of Jeddah and met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohhamed bin Salman ahead of crucial talks with the US. The meeting comes after the failed negotiations last month that culminated in the Oval Office after which Ukraine took a couple of steps back from the possible peace or ceasefire agreement with Russia. The US in the meantime seized military aid and intelligence support for Ukraine and the negotiations entered a somewhat unchartered territory. Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as the main location for the possible peace talks which was catalyzed by the country’s autocratic government and compliant media. Officials from both US and Ukraine are expected to meet on Tuesday where the proverbial diplomatic logjam is expected to be lifted.
Impact: The US pivot towards Russia positioned Ukraine in a diplomatically submissive situation where the country is pushed by the US to sign the rare earth minerals deal without security guarantees and make territorial concessions to Russia. Europe’s awakening call in terms of independent mobilization both militarily and economically cannot influence the ongoing negotiations as the continent scrambled between not fueling the war into a prolonged defeat for Ukraine and mobilizing its resources under a unified umbrella. The absence of Zelenskyy from the upcoming negotiations indicates that the meeting would be just a preliminary prelude towards what can and would be discussed in the future war resolutions.