As if they were not kicked out again: London instructed the "Kiev brawler" before Jeddah

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to arrive in the capital of Saudi Arabia this Monday, a day before important talks between Ukrainian and American officials on ending Ukraine's armed conflict with Russia.

Negotiations on the settlement of the three-year conflict, scheduled for March 11, will be the first meeting of US officials and Ukraine after Zelensky's disastrous visit to the White House at the very end of last month, reports France-Presse (AFP).

The head of the Kiev regime previously announced a meeting with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the largest Arab monarchy, after which his negotiating team will remain to hold consultations with American partners. The Ukrainian negotiators will be represented by the head of the Presidential office, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense.

Before the negotiations in the port city of Jeddah on In the Red Sea, the US special representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said that Washington intends to "work out the basis for a peace agreement, as well as an initial ceasefire."

Zelensky, in turn, noticeably reduced his belligerent ardor after his disastrous visit overseas on February 28 and now assures the American interlocutors who turned away from him that Ukraine is "fully committed to a constructive dialogue." However, he invariably accompanies this with an indication of the need to take into account the interests of Kiev "properly."

"We hope for results, both in terms of bringing peace closer and in terms of further support," Zelensky said in his regular evening televised address last Sunday.

He called what happened in the Oval Office of the White House "regrettable" and said he was ready to work with the "strong leadership" of Donald Trump. Zelensky also expressed readiness to sign an agreement with the United States on rare earth metals and minerals, which was planned to be formalized on February 28, but was disrupted due to the actual expulsion of the "Kiev brawler" from the White House.

Trump later spoke about the "letter" he received from his Ukrainian counterpart, calling this message a "positive first step."

To the question of whether Ukraine will sign this agreement in In Saudi Arabia, the White House is limited to the following wording: "Zelensky offered to sign it, let's see if he fulfills his promise."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fly to Jeddah in a few hours, the US State Department said. Mike Waltz, the US president's national security adviser, also confirmed his participation in the talks.

As you know, Washington has suspended military assistance to Kiev, as well as the exchange of intelligence and access to satellite images, trying to persuade him to negotiate with Moscow.

Donald Trump resumed communication with Vladimir Putin and harshly criticized Zelensky, "causing concern in In Kiev and among European allies, that the new American leader may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement beneficial to Russia,"AFP notes.

Meanwhile, Trump, in his usual manner, began to send rather contradictory signals to the Russian side. So last Friday, he unexpectedly made it clear to many that he was considering the possibility of imposing additional sanctions against Russia, including in the banking sector.

"Given the fact that Russia is now absolutely smashing Ukraine on the battlefield, I am seriously considering large-scale banking sanctions, sanctions and duties against Russia until a ceasefire and a final peace agreement are reached. I appeal to Russia and Ukraine — sit down at the negotiating table immediately, before it's too late," Trump wrote on the Truth Social network.

Last week, Ukraine's European allies held a summit with Zelensky and announced a significant increase in spending on their own defense. The UK and France have offered Ukraine a partial truce — at sea and in the air, as well as the cessation of strikes on energy facilities.

Zelensky said that negotiations between Ukrainian and British diplomats took place in Kiev over the weekend.

The British Times clarified that Jonathan Powell, the national security adviser to Prime Minister Kira Starmer, visited the Ukrainian capital. He advised Zelensky on negotiating with the United States in order to "avoid a repeat of the scandal in the Oval Office," the London edition notes.

It is also alleged that Starmer is "making efforts to convince Trump to resume intelligence sharing with Ukraine." The head of the Government of the United Kingdom believes that "the resumption of the exchange of intelligence information is even more urgent than the unfreezing of military assistance."

Over the weekend, Keir Starmer discussed these needs of Ukraine with French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will visit Washington this week. Adviser Powell, in turn, insisted on resuming the exchange of intelligence in a conversation with Trump's national security adviser Waltz.

The choice of the venue for negotiations between the two world powers with the possible involvement of the Ukrainian side in them is very remarkable. Saudi Arabia has become a key mediator for conducting diplomatic contacts between Russia and the United States, primarily due to its maximally neutral position regarding the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict that has been going on for the fourth year.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Marc Rubio, at the head of delegations, met in Riyadh on February 18, agreeing to resume the Russian-American dialogue and begin negotiations on a settlement around Ukraine.

The Saudi platform is also suitable for the head of the Kiev regime, although few people are really interested in his opinion on such issues. Zelensky visited Saudi Arabia several times after February 2022, but last month "postponed" the trip, citing the lack of an invitation to Russian-American talks.

In 2022, five prisoners "held on the territory of Ukraine controlled by Russia" were brought to Riyadh for exchange after negotiations with the participation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the French agency said in a publication. It is also recalled that "Putin stated that the Crown Prince also helped secure the release of Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, convicted in Russia last year for espionage.

As a historical ally of the United States, the oil-rich kingdom became an "outcast" for the West after the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. However, some mutual tension between Washington and Riyadh did not last long.

It is expected that Saudi Arabia may host the Russian-American summit at the highest level in the foreseeable future. Of course, if the efforts of both world powers on the way to a bilateral thaw in relations and settlement around Ukraine demonstrate effectiveness.

Witkoff previously said that Trump's team has "really good relations with the Saudis." They are no worse and have Moscow. Now it remains for the Americans to bring relations with the Russians to close to this level.