Four Ukrainian officials and three U.S. officials will take part in the negotiations in Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, representatives of the governments of the United States and Ukraine are meeting in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to push for peace negotiations with Russia.

RELATED:

Russia Launches Massive Attack on Ukraine’s Energy System

Among them are four senior political officials representing Ukraine and three others from the administration led by Republican President Donald Trump. These are the three main U.S. negotiators:

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State

Former Republican senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, vehemently condemned Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, last April, in line with Donald Trump, he voted against sending new weapons to Kyiv because the budget did not include additional provisions for restricting immigration.

Rubio is part of an administration that aims to bring the war in Ukraine to a swift end, even if that means the Russian annexation of occupied territories. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Rubio urged both Ukraine and Russia to make “concessions” to achieve peace and warned that it is “unrealistic” to expect a return to pre-invasion borders.

Mike Waltz, U.S. National Security Advisor

Retired National Guard colonel and former congressman Mike Waltz is known for his staunch anti-China stance and his approach to foreign policy as a military mission, having participated in U.S. operations in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa.

A military officer for 24 years, he previously served as a policy advisor at the White House and the Pentagon under George Bush. He also has corporate experience as a CEO, best-selling author, and media commentator.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Representative for the Middle East

A New Yorker and real estate developer like Trump, Witkoff serves as the special envoy for the Middle East. He is a longtime friend of the U.S. president and a frequent golf partner.

On his corporate website, he claims to have leveraged his extensive industry experience to successfully lead the financing, repositioning, and construction of more than 70 properties in major commercial districts across the U.S. and abroad. The Israeli government considers him one of the key architects of the ceasefire agreement reached with Hamas.

On Tuesday, the following four key Ukrainian negotiators will also be present at the talks in Jeddah:

Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the Ukrainian President

Yermak is the right-hand man of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though before entering politics, he was involved in film production. In 2019, after Zelenskyy was elected president, Yermak was appointed presidential assistant for foreign policy matters. In this role, he negotiated significant prisoner exchanges with Russia during the war in Donbas.

Andriy Sibiga, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Sibiga has led the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since September of last year, when the Ukrainian presidential office replaced then-Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba with a figure more directly connected to Zelenskyy. A career diplomat, Sibiga worked as a presidential advisor before becoming minister.

Rustem Umerov, Ukrainian Minister of Defense

Umerov has served as Minister of Defense since September 2023, appointed as a demonstration of Zelenskyy’s administration’s commitment to combating corruption in the military sector. Of Tatar descent, Umerov is not only a politician but also a businessman, investor, and philanthropist.

In international politics, Umerov has extensive experience, having served as deputy head of Ukraine’s permanent delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Pavlo Palisa, Defense Advisor to the Ukrainian Government

Military officer and defense advisor to Zelenskyy, Pavlo Palisa is a new addition to the Ukrainian delegation. With combat experience as the commander of Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade, Palisa joined the presidential office in December to bring the administration closer to the realities of the military.

At 40 years old, Palisa returned to Ukraine from the United States, where he was undergoing military training, to defend his country against the Russian invasion. His fluency in English makes him a valuable asset for Ukraine, where knowledge of foreign languages is relatively uncommon among experienced military personnel.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

EN ESTA NOTA: