Marco Rubio Says Talks in Saudi Arabia Key to Resuming Military Support for Ukraine

Trump's move to stop military aid, reduce intelligence has put pressure on Kyiv to negotiate

- Michael R. Gordon

The Trump administration might restart intelligence and military support to Kyiv if high-level talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials on a potential peace process make headway on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

"My hope is that we are going to have a really good meeting tomorrow and we will be in a different place very soon," Rubio told reporters on his plane shortly before arriving here Monday night.

The Tuesday meeting will be the first top-level talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials since a combative Oval Office encounter in which President Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of being unwilling to negotiate a peace settlement with Moscow.

Following that White House session, Trump cut off arms shipments and reduced the flow of intelligence to Kyiv. That move was followed by an accelerated Russian and North Korean campaign to roll back Ukrainian gains in Kursk, a portion of Russian territory seized by Kyiv's forces last year.

Zelensky has insisted he is ready to pursue peace talks, but has said that Ukraine would need Western-backed security guarantees to ensure that a prospective deal holds, assurances that Trump has been reluctant to provide.

And in recent days Ukrainian officials have suggested that an initial step toward peace could be a cease-fire on Russian and Ukrainian air and naval attacks.

U.S. officials haven't said what specific steps the Ukrainians need to take for American military support to resume, but have suggested it would need to go beyond a cease-fire.