US expects no breakthrough during Saudi Arabia talks on Ukraine

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy said he hopes the talks will pave the way for a Russia-Ukraine peace summit this autumn.

But the US isn't setting its expectations that high, according to Sky News.

In an interview with Voice of America, US national security spokesperson John Kirby said the White House expects no "tangible deliverables" to come out of the global gathering.

“Part of the objective here is to expose more of the international community to President Zelenskyy’s peace formula and try to garner some support for that moving forward,” Kirby said.

The Ukrainian peace formula is a 10-point plan promoted by Ukraine's president since last autumn, centered on achieving peace by providing food and energy security, as well as full restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Kirby stated that the Jeddah meeting should not be viewed as a formalization of those ten requirements, but rather as a discussion of what peace would entail.

“Zelenskyy’s perspectives, Ukraine’s perspectives, have to be the foundational element. They have to be fully respected as negotiations occur,” he said.

“But we’re just not there yet. Putin has shown no indication that he’s willing to negotiate – quite the contrary," Kirby added.