Push to develop a framework for peace following a highly publicized falling out between leaders of the two nations.
The United States and Ukraine are coordinating a meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss the initial terms of a cease-fire framework to halt the fighting between Moscow and Kyiv.
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, told reporters at the White House on March 6 that President Donald Trump had received a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing a willingness to lay out the initial terms of a cease-fire with Russia.
“I think the president thought that it was a really good, positive first step, and from that … we’re now in discussions to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians … and I think the idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial cease-fire as well,” Witkoff said.
The news follows a highly-publicized fallout between Washington and Kyiv late last month in which Trump accused Zelenskyy of not expressing enough gratitude for American support and suggested Ukraine should be willing to make more concessions to Russia to achieve peace.
Trump followed that meeting with a decision earlier this week to halt all assistance to Ukraine, including the sharing of intelligence which has assisted Ukraine’s ability to track Russian troop movements.
Witkoff said that Zelenskyy’s letter to Trump had satisfied the American leader’s desire for an apology and display of gratitude and that intelligence sharing might resume after the meeting.
“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,” Witkoff said.
“I would think at some point … hopefully we get things back on track with the Ukrainians and everything resumes,” he added.
Witkoff said that the meeting is expected to take place next week and that national security adviser Mike Waltz is currently leading discussions about who will form the primary diplomatic team to carry out the talks.
