The Kingdom will host the planned US and Ukraine talks in Jeddah this week, in a bid to support efforts ensuring “lasting peace in Ukraine,” state news agency SPA reported last Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will also arrive in Saudi Arabia on Monday for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of talks with US officials on Tuesday, according to posts on X.

Zelensky is not participating: While Zelensky will not be attending the talks, his delegation — including FM Andrii Sybiha, chief of staff Andriy Yermak, and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov — will remain in Saudi Arabia to meet with US officials later in the week, Interfax reports, citing a Telegram message by Zelensky.

IN CONTEXT- The talks follow last week's heated exchange in the Oval Office between Zelensky and US president Donald Trump, which resulted in the White House abruptly suspending military assistance and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

For the US side, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz are confirmed to attend, the Wall Street Journal reports. Witkoff said the discussions aim to establish a framework for a peace agreement to end the three-year war and initiate an initial ceasefire, after Zelensky expressed “regret” and a desire to rebuild ties with Washington.

MEANWHILE- The Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) foreign ministers welcomed Syria’s return to the organization and reaffirmed their support for the Gaza reconstruction plan at an extraordinary meeting held in Jeddah last Friday to discuss developments in Gaza, state news agency SPA reports. The meeting was attended by FM Faisal bin Farhan.

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