Ukraine Takes Strategic Diplomatic Initiative at Jeddah Talks, Says Foreign Ministry

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – Ukraine’s delegation demonstrated strategic diplomacy and resilience in recent US-Ukraine high-stakes talks in Jeddah, according to Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesperson for the country’s Foreign Ministry, the Gaze reports referring to Tykhyi's post on social media.

The negotiations lasted more than eight hours and became the first bilateral in-person meeting after a blast in the Oval Office at the end of February, when the Ukrainian delegation left Washington, D.C., without proper talks and the US-Ukraine minerals deal remained unsigned. Eventually, the Ukrainian delegation accepted the U.S. offer to launch a 30-day ceasefire, a first of that kind in three years of tense fighting.  

The prolonged nature of the negotiations highlighted the role of mental endurance and strategic patience in securing diplomatic breakthroughs. According to the spokesperson, the final hours of talks proved decisive, as exhaustion set in and opened avenues for compromise and strategic gains.

"The delegation's ability to control emotions and sustain focus in the endgame was key to securing a positive result," Tykhyi noted, adding that Zelensky’s remote leadership ensured that Ukraine remained firm on core principles while showing diplomatic agility where needed. 

Tykhyi also emphasized that his counterpart Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the US State Department, and her team worked closely with their Ukrainian counterparts throughout the day, reinforcing the White House’s position that US diplomatic and strategic support for Kyiv remains intact. 

Furthermore, for Ukraine’s delegation, the true measure of success came both in the negotiating room and at home.

Shortly after takeoff, as the team departed Jeddah, Tukhyi recalls, a brief yet significant update arrived from Polish colleagues —confirmation that "all processes in Rzeszów had just been restored," hinting at the resume of US military aid deliveries, crucial to sustaining Ukrainian armed forces amid Russia's attacks.

Back in Moscow, the reaction was swift—and telling. Russian media channels erupted into a frenzy, with state-controlled outlets scrambling to reframe the narrative. "You could see the panic," the spokesperson noted. “Firetrucks racing around, officials scrambling — because they suddenly realized Ukraine had just seized the strategic initiative and rewritten the rules of engagement.”