U.S. officials are set to meet with negotiators from Ukraine and Russia in Saudi Arabia to discuss the details of a proposed 30-day ceasefire concerning attacks on energy infrastructure, along with a longer-term peace deal.
The Russian and Ukrainian negotiators will not meet face-to-face. Ukrainian officials are expected to arrive Sunday night, followed by discussions on Monday between Russian and U.S. negotiators.
The U.S. President spoke last week with both the Russian and Ukrainian Presidents to advance efforts aimed at ending the three-year conflict.
Key discussion points among Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine include an agreement that the movement towards peace will commence with a 30-day halt in attacks on energy facilities, as stated by the White House.
However, this limited ceasefire has been called into question, as Moscow reported that Ukraine struck an oil depot in southern Russia, while Kyiv accused Russia of attacking hospitals and residences and disrupting power to railways.
Zelenskiy indicated that Kyiv would compile a list of facilities eligible for the partial ceasefire, which could encompass not just energy infrastructure but also rail and port facilities.
A cessation of strikes might benefit Moscow more than Kyiv, as it would hinder Ukraine's long-range attacks on key targets, a primary means of inflicting damage on Russia.
According to a U.S. statement, the President suggested in his conversation with Zelenskiy that the U.S. could assist in managing, and potentially owning, Ukraine's nuclear power plants and energy assets.
Zelenskiy mentioned discussions with Trump regarding the Zaporizhzhia facility, Europe's largest nuclear plant, which is currently occupied by Russia. Both nations have accused each other of endangering safety at the site.
Zelenskiy expressed readiness to discuss U.S. involvement in modernizing the facility if it were returned to Ukrainian control, which would ultimately benefit Ukraine by restoring a significant portion of its power generation capacity.
However, he cautioned that it would take approximately two and a half years to reactivate the plant due to considerable technical challenges and significant investment needs.
The Kremlin stated that Putin had responded positively to Trump's initiatives concerning nuclear safety, and the two leaders agreed to commence negotiations.
Turkey and the United Nations played a key role in mediating the Black Sea Grain Initiative, established in July 2022, which facilitated the safe export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain despite the ongoing conflict. Russia withdrew from this agreement after a year, citing challenges to its own food and fertilizer exports.
Despite the risks associated with Black Sea shipping, the World Bank's global commodities outlook from April 2024 indicated that both Russia and Ukraine have continued to export grain to global markets without significant issues and that the collapse of the grain initiative had minimal fallout.
On Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 175 prisoners, with an additional 22 severely wounded Ukrainian prisoners released in what the Russian defense ministry termed a goodwill gesture. Zelenskiy referred to the exchange as one of the largest of its kind, highlighting the plight of the released individuals.
Putin has expressed a desire for Ukraine to officially abandon its ambitions to join NATO. Ukraine, which enshrines NATO membership in its constitution, views inclusion in the alliance as the most effective security guarantee achievable through any peace agreement.
Last month, Trump's deputy envoy for Ukraine, John Coale, suggested the U.S. had not dismissed the possibility of Ukraine either joining NATO or negotiating a return to its pre-2014 borders—comments which contradicted U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's assertions that such a return was unrealistic.
Trump has stated he does not believe Russia would allow Ukraine to join NATO, attributing the idea to President Biden, though it was initially supported by President George W. Bush in 2008.
With NATO membership not immediately attainable, Ukraine is pursuing security guarantees to be embedded in any peace agreement, though this stance conflicts with the Kremlin's demands, including the reduction of Ukraine's military capabilities.
Britain and France are developing a plan for a military presence of ships and planes in or around Ukraine following a peace agreement, though the specifics regarding its operation and contributions remain unclear. Some Russian officials have expressed opposition to such a force.
Putin has also called for the easing of sanctions and the holding of presidential elections in Ukraine. Kyiv has not conducted any elections since 2019 due to wartime martial law, which prohibits electoral processes. Ukrainian officials argue that it is not for Moscow to dictate the timing of their elections.
The U.S. has implemented extensive sanctions against Russia under the Biden administration, including measures aimed at curbing its oil and gas revenues, such as a cap of $60 per barrel on Russian oil exports.
Since Trump's return to office in January, he has vowed to achieve peace in Ukraine. Sources indicate his administration has been exploring ways to ease sanctions if Moscow agrees to conclude the conflict, though Trump has suggested the potential for new sanctions until peace is attained.
Russia seeks control over the four eastern Ukrainian regions it has claimed, as well as the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014. Sources cited by Russia's Kommersant newspaper indicate that Putin desires U.S. recognition of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson as part of Russia alongside Crimea.
Ukraine acknowledges that it cannot forcibly recapture certain occupied territories and must rely on diplomatic means for their return, yet it maintains that it will never accept Russian sovereignty over its lands.
When asked if the U.S. would accept a peace deal allowing Russia to retain Ukrainian territory, Trump's National Security Adviser Mike Waltz posed critical questions regarding national interests and realism in reclaiming every inch of Ukrainian soil.
Kyiv and Washington have been considering a deal that would provide the U.S. with financial returns from the development of rare earth minerals necessary for electronics manufacturing. However, talks have faltered following a difficult White House meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy last month.
Beyond that deal, Ukraine possesses the world's third-largest underground gas storage capacity. It may eventually import liquefied natural gas from the U.S., store it, and then transport it to European nations seeking alternatives to Russian natural gas.