The New York Times reports that during the Jeddah talks, a pivotal moment in the peace negotiations took place—highlighted by the map presented by Rubio and the marker handed to Umerov, who began outlining key areas including Zaporizhzhia, Kinburn, and Crimea.

On March 11 in Jeddah, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented a map of Ukraine to the Ukrainian delegation, asking for their red lines. The Ukrainian side accepted Donald Trump’s proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov drew the contact line, expressing willingness to concede 20% of the country to achieve peace. The U.S. proposed Ukraine’s EU membership, exclusion from NATO, and international management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The issue of Crimea remained thorny, with Rubio assuring that the U.S. would not ask for official recognition of Russian sovereignty.

In a closed hotel meeting room in Jeddah on March 11, according to the New York Times, one of the most decisive episodes of the behind-the-scenes negotiations over the war in Ukraine took place. That morning, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid out a large map of Ukraine on the table, showing the frontline dividing Ukrainian-controlled from Russian-controlled areas for the past three years.

“I want to know what your absolute red lines are, what you absolutely need to survive as a country,” he reportedly asked the Ukrainian delegation, according to a U.S. official present. The meeting began with a surprising but quick acceptance by the Ukrainian side of Donald Trump’s proposal for an immediate, comprehensive 30-day ceasefire.

Shortly after, as participants leaned over the map, Mike Walz handed Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov a dark blue marker. “Start drawing,” he said. Umerov first marked Ukraine’s northern borders with Russia and Belarus and then traced the contact line crossing the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

Zaporizhzhia and the Kinburn Peninsula

Special emphasis was placed on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, which Umerov circled on the map. According to a Ukrainian official, he warned that Russian occupying forces are not maintaining it properly, creating a risk of “nuclear disaster,” and made it clear Kyiv wants to regain control. Finally, he pointed out the Kinburn Peninsula, a narrow strip extending into the Black Sea, explaining that regaining it would allow safe access for Ukrainian ships to the shipyards in Mykolaiv.

For three years of war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had repeatedly vowed that the Ukrainian army would fight until every inch of lost territory was recovered. This was the most politically difficult red line. However, as a U.S. official recalls, this moment marked a major turning point: “It was the first time Zelensky, through his people, said that to achieve peace, he was willing to give up 20% of the country.”

In the corridors of the U.S. mission, Trump’s advisers commented that the Ukrainians “got into the spirit.” A few hours later, the American president ordered the resumption of U.S. aid to Kyiv, and his team outlined the key parameters of an agreement: Ukraine would cede territory along the line drawn by Umerov, could join the European Union, but NATO membership would be blocked, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant would be managed by the U.S. or an international body, and the U.S. would ask Russia to return Kinburn.

Crimea

The most contentious issue remained Crimea. The peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, is a strong symbol of national claims for both sides. Trump’s team believed accepting it as Russian would be a strong incentive for Russian President Vladimir Putin. For Ukrainians, however, it was perhaps the hardest point.

Merely mentioning the issue at the start of talks caused a strong reaction from Umerov. “You cannot believe Russian propaganda that says Crimea is not Ukrainian and has always been Russian,” he said. “I am a Crimean Tatar, and Crimea is Ukrainian,” pointing out that his family was exiled to Uzbekistan and returned to Crimea when he was nine, where he saw his father and brother build their home with their own hands.

At that point, Rubio tried to ease the reactions, clarifying that Trump would not ask Ukraine or Europeans to officially recognize Russian sovereignty. “We will be the only ones,” he reportedly said. Despite objections, U.S. officials directly asked whether this issue would cause the Ukrainian side to withdraw from talks. The answer, according to a senior official, was no.

During the negotiations, Trump also announced a reduction in Keith Kellogg’s role, naming him “Special Envoy for Ukraine” via a post on Truth Social. Kellogg tried to reassure Kyiv, referring to postwar Germany’s example, which remained divided for decades before reunification.

In the end, as the Ukrainians were told, “the ball is now in Russia’s court.” And if Putin refuses to proceed? “Then he will have a problem with Donald Trump,” Rubio concluded at the Jeddah meeting.