Kyiv, March 23 (IANS) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky convened a military cabinet meeting in Kharkiv on Sunday to assess frontline developments and prepare for an upcoming meeting between Ukrainian and US delegations in Saudi Arabia, as reported by The Kyiv Independent.
During the meeting, Zelensky received briefings from key military and government officials, including Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov. Also present were Andriy Yermak, Head of the President’s Office, and his deputy, Pavlo Palisa. Discussions focused on the battlefield situation across major regions, including Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy, as well as operations in the Kursk region. Additionally, strategies for the March 24 US-Ukraine meeting in Riyadh were deliberated.
Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian and US delegations are set to continue discussions on peace efforts. This meeting follows a March 18 phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which resulted in a partial ceasefire agreement on energy infrastructure strikes. A subsequent call between Zelensky and Trump on March 19 led to Ukraine agreeing to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities. Meanwhile, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz announced on X that parallel ceasefire discussions between Russian and American delegations will also take place in Riyadh on March 24.
Zelensky stated that Ukraine and the US are actively working on coordinating peace negotiations, with representatives instructed to move forward swiftly. He also revealed that his administration is preparing a list of key energy, infrastructure, and civilian sites that Russia must cease attacking, which will be presented to international partners for further discussions.
The March 24 talks follow a previous meeting in Saudi Arabia on March 11, during which Ukraine agreed to a US-backed proposal for a complete ceasefire, though Russia did not commit. Relations between Ukraine and the US had been strained after a heated exchange between Zelensky and Trump at the White House on February 28, leading to a temporary pause in US military aid and intelligence-sharing. However, the two sides reconciled during the March 11 discussions, allowing diplomatic efforts to resume.
The Ukrainian delegation for the upcoming talks will include Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to the President, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa. As international negotiations continue, these discussions could be crucial in shaping Ukraine’s security and the broader trajectory of the ongoing conflict.
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