Zelenskyy: Saudi Arabia meeting to discuss halting long-range strikes

The upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia will focus on the technical details of stopping strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel.

"Ukraine has supported the U.S. position on an unconditional ceasefire from the very beginning. Why? Because then there would be no need for 10, 20, or however many technical meetings to discuss the conditions [of a partial truce]... I believe this is a faster option, but we will not oppose any format or steps toward an unconditional ceasefire," he said.

Zelenskyy noted that the first step toward an unconditional truce could be halting missile or other long-range strikes on energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure—this will be the focus of the technical meeting in Saudi Arabia.

According to the president, there are questions about which and how many sites should be classified as "other civilian infrastructure." The Ukrainian delegation is ready to present a list of "civilian facilities and areas where we would see this [truce]."

"But I cannot tell you how this meeting will end because we are seeing technical teams. I think it would be good if the meeting results in something that brings us closer to a full ceasefire. The outcome will depend on whether the parties genuinely want this or just pretend to," Zelenskyy added.

He emphasized that Ukraine truly seeks a ceasefire and that its delegation will be composed of highly skilled technical professionals.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will also be part of the Ukrainian delegation, Zelenskyy added.

In his view, Ukrainian representatives will be prepared to act "very quickly and very specifically," stressing that the issue is not on Ukraine's side.