Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia next week. (Reuters: Carlos Jasso)
In short:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will be in Saudi Arabia on Monday for talks between US and Ukrainian officials on how to end the conflict in his country.
The meeting would mark a thawing of relations between the two countries after an explosive meeting between Donald Trump and Mr Zelenskyy which led to the US cutting off military aid and intelligence sharing.
What's next?
Ukraine has been under pressure from the US to sign a deal which would allow rare earth minerals to be extracted.
Mr Zelenskyy is seeking a stronger security backstop from the US which would protect his country from any future Russian aggression.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with the US on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president told citizens in his nightly address he would be in the Middle East on Monday and expected to meet officials from Donald Trump's US administration about the three-year conflict.
“Ukraine is most interested in peace,” he said. “As we told President Trump, Ukraine is working and will work exclusively constructively for a quick and reliable peace.”
Europe voices its support for Ukraine, without Hungary
Photo shows A man in black walks down a hallway while others watch on
The meeting would mark a significant thawing of relations between Kyiv and Washington after the US suspended military aid and intelligence-sharing, following the explosive meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy at the White House last week in which the US president accused his Ukrainian counterpart of disrespecting America and "gambling with World War III".
Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X that he hoped the talks would be "meaningful".
"Ukrainian and American teams have resumed work, and we hope that next week we will have a meaningful meeting," he said.
"Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first moment of the war, and we have always stated that the war continues solely because of Russia."
Meanwhile, US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff said his officials would meet with a Ukrainian delegation in Riyadh.
He said a letter sent to Mr Trump by the Ukrainian president after the White House showdown between the two leaders included an "apology" and expressed a "sense of gratitude" for the aid given to Kyiv by the US.
"Hopefully, we get things back on track with the Ukrainians, and everything resumes," he added.
Amid the breakdown in relations, Mr Zelenskyy held talks with European allies in London and wrote to the president underlining he was keen to strike a peace agreement.
A White House press conference descended into a war of words between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump (Reuters: Brian Snyder)
Focus will now shift to a proposed economic deal between the US and Ukraine, which would see rare earth minerals extracted from Ukraine.
Mr Zelenskyy is also seeking a security backstop to protect his country from further aggression from Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Other sticking points in any peace agreement will include territory, with Russia currently occupying swathes of Ukrainian land, and the deployment of peacekeeping troops from other countries.
At a summit in London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer laid the groundwork for a "coalition of the willing" to help Ukraine, led by the UK, France and other NATO countries and their allies.