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President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters on Thursday in Washington, D.C., that U.S. and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet next week in Saudi Arabia for peace talks.
Witkoff’s updates follow a wild week of relations between American and Ukrainian leaders following a controversial meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week in the Oval Office.
“We are now in discussion to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh or even potentially Jeddah,” Witkoff told reporters outside the White House.
“So the city is moving around a little bit, but it will be Saudi Arabia. And I think the idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well.”
The Trump administration announced on Monday that it is pausing all military aid to Ukraine, according to a White House official.
“President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” said the official.
Zelenskyy was expected to sign a mineral rights deal while in Washington on Thursday. Instead, he exchanged heated words with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office, with the deal abruptly ended.
Trump has applied pressure on both Ukraine and Russia to make a deal to end the conflict since returning to office.
In January, Trump shared a post to his Truth Social account calling on Russia to “make a deal” to end the conflict in Ukraine.
“I’m not looking to hurt Russia. I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin – and this despite the Radical Left’s Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. We must never forget that Russia helped us win the Second World War, losing almost 60,000,000 lives in the process, Trump began.
“All of that being said, I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE,” he continued.