Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman early on Tuesday (Mar 11) ahead of the crucial talks between Ukrainian and US officials to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war. 

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Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is in Saudi Arabia, said there is "no military solution" to the conflict in Ukraine.

US is hoping that diplomacy will deliver substantial progress towards ending Russia's war with Ukraine. 

The Saudi state news agency SPA reported that during the meeting with Zelensky in Jeddah, the crown prince emphasised support for international efforts to resolve Ukraine's crisis and achieve peace. 

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After the meeting, Zelensky took to his X account and wrote that he is "grateful" for the crown prince's "wise perspective" on global affairs and support for Ukraine. 

"It was especially important to hear words of confidence in Ukraine’s future," the Ukrainian president wrote. 

"We discussed all key issues on the agenda—both bilateral matters and cooperation with other partners. I acknowledged the Crown Prince’s efforts in bringing true peace closer. Saudi Arabia provides a crucial platform for diplomacy, and we appreciate this," he wrote. 

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"The Ukrainian delegation remains in Jeddah to work with the U.S. team on Tuesday, March 11, and we hope for practical outcomes. Ukraine’s position in these talks will be fully constructive," he further added. 

"With the Crown Prince, we had a detailed discussion on the steps and conditions needed to end the war and secure a reliable and lasting peace."  

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What does the US want? 

Rubio was on his way to Jeddah when he said that there was a need to check Kyiv’s readiness to make concessions in order to reach peace. 

"The most important thing that we have to leave here with is a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to do difficult things, like the Russians are going to have to do difficult things, to end this conflict or at least pause it in some way, shape or form," he told reporters on the plane. 

"I think both sides need to come to an understanding that there's no military solution to this situation. The Russians can't conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously it'll be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014," he added. 

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Russia-Ukraine war latest 

A Ukrainian strike on a village store in the Russian region of Kursk on Monday killed three people and wounded nine, the regional governor said. Ukrainian forces have occupied a part of Kursk region since last August. 

"The Ukrainian armed force hit the Dobrynia shop in the village of Belaya in Belovski district. This happened at a time when people were grocery shopping after work," regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram. 

(With inputs from agencies) 

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos