Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that his team will meet with their American counterparts in Saudi Arabia for peace talks. The statement comes just one week after Zelenskyy’s Oval Office clash with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, which ended with him leaving the White House ahead of schedule.

“Next Monday, I have a visit planned to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with the Crown Prince. After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with our American partners,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X. “Ukraine is most interested in peace.”

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as U.S. Vice President JD Vance reacts at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2025.  (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, who is set to attend the peace talks in Saudi Arabia, later posted on X calling for Russia to face “tougher sanctions” if it did not stop striking Ukraine. Now that President Trump says he is considering sanctions on Moscow because of the attacks, this could become a reality. 

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko confirmed the “massive missile and drone” attack on his Facebook page, according to the Associated Press. At least 10 people, including a child, were reportedly injured, the Associated Press reported, citing authorities.

“Ukraine is ready to pursue the path to peace, and it is Ukraine that strives for peace from the very first second of this war. The task is to force Russia to stop the war,” Zelenskyy wrote about the attack in a post on X.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly said the attack on Ukraine’s energy supply was legitimate because it is “linked with Ukraine’s military industrial complex and weapons production,” according to the Associated Press.

Russia has attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure multiple times during the bloody three-year war. In April 2024, Russia destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest power plants, and in December 2024, Russia pummeled Ukraine’s power grid.

“Everyone must ensure that Russia, the sole source of this war, accepts the need to end it. This can be proved by two forms of silence: no attacks on energy and other civilian infrastructure – a truce for missiles, bombs, long-range drones; no military operations in the Black Sea,” Zelenskyy wrote in another post on X.

On Tuesday, while delivering an address to a joint session of Congress, Trump spoke about his desire to end the war and announced that he had received a letter from Zelenskyy. President Trump read the letter aloud and said that he appreciated it.

“Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” President Trump said. “The letter reads, ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians, he said. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.’”

President Donald Trump gestures as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on the day they meet at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2025.  (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

Zelenskyy’s emphasis on peace seems to be a response to Trump’s accusation that the Ukrainian leader had no interest in it following last week’s Oval Office clash.

“I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace,” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after the heated meeting.