US-Ukraine Talks In Saudi Arabia: 4 Things To Watch Ahead Of Crucial Peace Negotiations.

US President Donald Trump (center right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center left) meet in the White House on February 28.

During their fiery blow up at the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that “you don’t have the cards right now.”

Trump’s comment last month referred to Kyiv’s perceived weak hand in the face of battlefield gains by Russia and a White House eager to bring the three-year war to an end.

Now, as Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia — where a Ukrainian negotiating team will then engage in high-stakes talks with US officials on March 11 about a potential peace deal — Kyiv’s cards will be on full display.

“Ukraine has the weakest hand at the table,” said Michael Froman, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. “As Trump and his emissaries have made clear, Washington is not inclined to indefinitely support Kyiv.”

Since that White House argument in late February, Washington has upped the pressure on Ukraine, pausing military aid and suspending intelligence sharing. A crucial US-Ukraine minerals deal also remains unsigned.

Trump has expressed optimism about the talks, telling reporters that “we’re going to make a lot of progress, I believe, this week.” Zelenskyy said before traveling to Saudi Arabia that he will “continue to work for the sake of peace.”