Saudi Arabia is set to host peace talks on Ukraine this weekend that will include the US as well as a number of Western and developing countries.
They will be aimed at developing shared principles to end the war and discussing the kind of security assistance Kyiv will need to deter Russia from ever attacking Ukraine again, US officials have said.
While Russia will not be at the table, the question of what Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to do — and whether he would even abide by a ceasefire or peace agreement — will be top of mind, officials said.
Though the idea of peace negotiations at this point in the war appear premature, US officials believe that multiple factors could impact how dug-in Putin remains on the battlefield, including pressure from the Global South.
According to the Saudi state-run news agency SPA, the talks will take place on Saturday in Jeddah, and they are scheduled to last for just the day, a senior Saudi government official told CNN.
Who's going: US officials said Tuesday that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will be present on behalf of the United States.
A representative from the Chinese government will also be in attendance, the Chinese foreign ministry said Friday. Ukraine has said that other key developing nations, such as India and Brazil, will also attend.
The talks are the second in a series of meetings organized by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak. The first talks took place earlier this year in Copenhagen.
CNN's Kylie Atwood, Natasha Bertrand, Jennifer Hansler, Kevin Liptak and Nic Robertson contributed reporting to this post