(Reuters) – Ukraine said it would support Washington’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia after what Kyiv said were ‘milestone’ talks during which the United States agreed to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
After more than eight hours of negotiations with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would now take the jointly-signed offer to Russia, and the ball is in Moscow’s court.
WHAT IS THE AGREEMENT ABOUT?
Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, the joint statement says.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that the U.S. proposed taking a full interim ceasefire, stopping missile, drone, and bomb attacks, not only in the Black Sea, but also along the entire front line.
“Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal — we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it,” Zelenskiy said.
WHAT ELSE WAS AGREED?
The United States said it would immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said late on Tuesday that both aid and intelligence sharing have resumed.
In Tuesday’s joint statement, the two countries said they agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources.
The minerals agreement has been in works for weeks and was thrown into limbo after an acrimonious White House meeting on February 28 between the U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long been a Ukraine aid sceptic, and Zelenskiy.
Both sides also stressed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process, particularly during the ceasefire, including the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.
Both sides agreed to name their negotiating teams and immediately begin peace negotiations.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The agreement is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by Russia. U.S. officials said they would take the agreement to Moscow.
Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, was due to meet his Russian counterpart in the coming days and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to visit Moscow this week to meet Putin.
Trump said that he might speak with Putin this week and that he hoped a lasting ceasefire would be negotiated in the coming days.
The Russian foreign ministry said after the U.S-Ukraine talks on Tuesday only that it did not rule out contacts with U.S. representatives.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Michael Perry)
