On March 11, local time, in Jeddah, the U.S. and Ukraine returned to the 'negotiating table' once again.

After being hit hard by the U.S. cutting off aid and intelligence, Zelensky was already prepared to kneel.

After eight hours of marathon talks, the world finally got the truth: the mineral agreement needs to be renegotiated, and Zelensky has been kicked down three levels by America. This is what is called 'one step forward, three steps back.'


In the Jeddah talks, both the U.S. and Ukraine sent strong delegations. From the U.S. side, there were Secretary of State Rubio, National Security Advisor O'Brien, and Middle East Envoy Witkov. The Ukrainian delegation included the Head of the Presidential Office Yermak, Foreign Minister Serhiy, Defense Minister Umerov, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palitsa.


The Ukrainian side specifically emphasized that Foreign Minister Serhiy has received authorization from the Ukrainian government to sign the mineral agreement with the U.S. This means that Ukraine came specifically to sign the mineral agreement.

The day before the talks, Zelensky also arrived in Saudi Arabia and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. However, Zelensky's tone was quite humorous—he claimed he wasn't there for the talks but just 'happened' to be in Saudi Arabia.


However, these did not help Ukraine's situation at all.

On the evening of March 11, local time, the media finally received a joint statement from both countries. This time, the statement fully reflected the 'politeness' and 'gratitude' that the Trump administration values the most, specifically mentioning that 'the Ukrainian delegation once again expresses deep gratitude on behalf of the Ukrainian people to President Trump, the U.S. Congress, and the American people for making significant progress on the path to peace!'

The content of the statement does not directly sign the mineral agreement, but it reflects further pressure from the U.S. on Ukraine.

First, Ukraine agrees to a ceasefire.

Zelensky's proposal for an 'air ceasefire and maritime ceasefire' was modified to 'Ukraine expresses its willingness to accept the U.S. suggestion to immediately implement a temporary ceasefire for 30 days.' This undoubtedly requires Ukraine to make concessions first. Next, as long as Russia agrees to this agreement, the ceasefire can be implemented immediately.

Regarding this outcome, Trump appeared quite satisfied, revealing in an interview that he hopes to talk with Putin later this week.

Zelensky stated on social media that in the talks that day, the U.S. proposal for a comprehensive ceasefire was not only about missiles, drones, and bombs, not only in the Black Sea, but also included the entire front line.



Secondly, Ukraine made territorial concessions.

This is not the content of the statement but what U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said to the media on March 10. However, this is undoubtedly very crucial. Rubio stated that any future peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia must involve territorial concessions from Ukraine. Russia has consistently insisted that Ukraine must withdraw from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, and abandon its bid to join NATO.

This time, the deep meaning of Ukraine agreeing to ceasefire first is that Ukraine has had to acknowledge the reality that its territory cannot return to the so-called '2014 borders.'

Thirdly, the mineral agreement needs to be renegotiated.

The U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement has undergone multiple revisions and was once close to being signed on February 28. Unfortunately, a quarrel ended the originally smooth signing process. Now, the statement mentions that 'the Presidents of the U.S. and Ukraine agree to quickly reach a comprehensive agreement on the development of Ukraine's key mineral resources.' The word 'sign' has turned into 'reach,' indicating that the U.S. may likely demand more concessions from Ukraine on the details of the agreement to show sincerity in its 'apology.'

This round of talks reflects a thorough failure of Ukrainian diplomacy. Just on February 28 at the White House, Zelensky was still shouting that the U.S. must 'provide security guarantees before signing an agreement,' but the result was that he failed to achieve his demands and was instead attacked by the U.S., which brutally cut him three times, abandoning all his conditions and turning Ukraine into a victim of the U.S.

However, the U.S. also provided Zelensky with what he wanted: restoration of aid and intelligence sharing. At the same time, Trump told the media that he would invite Ukrainian President Zelensky back to the White House. It seems that Zelensky can finally make up for that missed lunch last time.

Zelensky probably really didn't expect that after Trump's furious reaction, Ukraine's outcome would be so tragic.

On March 3, the Trump administration stopped funding for newly approved weapon sales to Ukraine and considered freezing arms shipments from U.S. stockpiles.

On March 5, the U.S. cut off intelligence support to Ukraine.

Having lost American support, the Ukrainian army's ability to perceive Russian military movements dramatically decreased, and Ukraine immediately began to suffer consecutive defeats on the battlefield. The Russian army launched a major counterattack in Kursk, and Ukrainian frontline troops frequently suffered precise strikes, losing several key strongholds.

Ukraine is already in such a tragic situation, and Musk still threatened on March 9 to cut off 'Starlink.'

Meanwhile, the aid promised by the EU is utterly ineffective. Europe's military strength and intelligence capabilities are far inferior to those of the U.S., and satellite reconnaissance and electronic warfare systems cannot replace American technology, leading to frequent vulnerabilities in the Ukrainian defense.

In such a situation, Zelensky began to apologize and admit mistakes.

On March 4, Zelensky posted on social media expressing regret for everything that happened during his meeting with President Trump at the White House, stating that he and the Ukrainian team were willing to start negotiations as soon as possible to achieve lasting peace.

On March 7, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teyshy emphasized that Ukraine is still prepared to reach a mineral resources agreement with the U.S. and does not exclude the possibility of signing the document in Saudi Arabia.

On March 8, Zelensky posted on social media stating that Ukraine is fully committed to constructive dialogue and looks forward to discussing and reaching consensus on necessary decisions and steps.

On March 10, Witkov told the media that Zelensky had formally apologized to President Trump for the White House quarrel.

This meeting in Jeddah completely exposed Ukraine's geopolitical predicament: Zelensky used the '30-day ceasefire' and the negotiation rights for the mineral agreement as leverage to exchange for a brief recovery of U.S. aid, but in fact tacitly accepted the established fact of Russian occupation of territory. The Trump administration harvested diplomatic dividends in the guise of a 'peace maker,' while Ukraine's sovereignty and resources have become collateral in great power games. When Zelensky wrote 'thanks to American leadership' on social media, the decision-makers in Kyiv may finally understand— the dignity of a small country is merely a pawn that can be discarded at any moment in the game of power.#乌俄停火 #矿机 $BTC