Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — The U.S. and Ukraine said Kyiv would accept a 30-day ceasefire with Russia after talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with the U.S. pledging to immediately lift a freeze on intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine.
“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, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” the U.S. and Ukraine said in a joint statement released by the State Department. “The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace.”
The agreement came after more than eight hours of negotiations between Ukrainian officials and a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The statement said the U.S. “will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine,” both of which had been frozen in the wake of an explosive meeting between Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mr. Trump in Washington. Ukraine has been supported by the U.S. and other Western allies in its fight against Russia since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, and the move to cut off aid left Kyiv at a disadvantage and European allies scrambling.
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Whether Russia will support a ceasefire remains to be seen. Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, will be traveling to Russia in the coming days, according to a person familiar with the planning. Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for 3.5 hours in February.
“Both delegations agreed to name their negotiating teams and immediately begin negotiations toward an enduring peace that provides for Ukraine’s long-term security,” the statement from the U.S. and Ukraine said. “The United States committed to discussing these specific proposals with representatives from Russia. The Ukrainian delegation reiterated that European partners shall be involved in the peace process.”
The statement also said Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy would “conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine’s economy and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security.” Washington has been pushing Kyiv to sign a deal which would grant the U.S. access to its mineral reserves, and Zelenskyy indicated his readiness to sign a deal ahead of the talks.
Rubio led the U.S. delegation to Saudi Arabia, supported by Witkoff and national security adviser Mike Waltz. Zelenskyy was visiting Saudi Arabia at the time of the talks, but did not participate.
Ahead of the talks, a senior Ukrainian official said his message to the U.S. team was the Kyiv was ready to make a peace deal with Russia, and that while Zelenskyy might still want Western security guarantees as part of the deal to deter any future Russian aggression, the focus was “how to start this process.”
Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said his delegation’s central message for the U.S. was that “Ukrainians want a peace,” and that Ukraine was “ready to go” to work toward that goal.
When asked about security guarantees, Yermak said they were “very important, because we want that never, this aggression, [is] never repeated in the future again. Of course, it’s very important. But now we think it’s necessary to discuss, [with] the most importance, how to start this process.”
