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Volodymyr Zelensky is flying to Saudi Arabia for high-level talks with the crown prince, at a time when Ukraine is being squeezed on and off the battlefield.
The Ukrainian president has traveled to Riyadh for talks with Mohammed bin Salman, whose government has played a mediating role between Ukraine and Russia, ahead of separate meetings in Saudi Arabia between Ukrainian and American officials.
Donald Trump is trying to force Zelensky to agree to a deal to end the war with Russia, and last week the US president increased the pressure by cutting off crucial military aid and intelligence sharing.
On Tuesday, a Ukrainian delegation led by Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior White House officials - the first official meeting since the disastrous Oval Office debate between Zelensky and Trump.
The White House sees Trump's Ukraine policy as aimed at achieving a lasting "peace," but the president has focused largely on pressuring Zelensky to hand over his country's mineral wealth to the US.
The Ukrainian president says he is ready to sign a deal on minerals, although it seems unlikely he will win the US security guarantees that Kiev sees as vital to preventing a future Russian invasion.
Zelensky will not participate in Tuesday's talks, but the Ukrainian delegation will include his foreign and defense ministers. "For our part, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue and hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps," Zelensky said in a post on X.
Trump aide Steve Witkoff said Washington expected substantial progress from the talks. Asked on Fox News whether he thought Zelensky could sign the minerals deal this week, Witkoff said, "I'm really hopeful. All the signs are very, very positive." Intelligence sharing will be discussed in the meetings, Witkoff added.
The Ukrainian side is expected to propose a peace plan that includes a ban on drone and missile attacks, as well as a suspension of military activity in the Black Sea. Zelensky has said the proposal would be proof of Russia's commitment to ending the war. However, so far, Vladimir Putin has shown no interest in a ceasefire.
Trump said on Sunday that he expected good results from the upcoming talks and that he would consider ending the suspension of intelligence sharing with Kiev.
Ukrainian troops remain under intense pressure. On Monday, the country's border guard said Russian forces were trying to create an active combat zone in the northeastern Sumy region, across the border from Kursk.
In Kursk, the Russians are also closing in on the Ukrainian-controlled Russian town of Sudzha. On Sunday, the Ukrainian general staff said it had repelled a massive attack by Russian groups. About 100 Russian soldiers spent four days crawling through the nine-mile (15 km) pipeline that leads to the outskirts of Sudzha.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev claimed that Kiev's forces were almost surrounded and would soon be driven out. "The lid of the cauldron is almost closed. The offensive continues," he posted on Telegram.
Trump suggested this weekend that Ukraine may not be able to survive the war against Russia, even with US support.
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