Ukraine on Tuesday signaled its readiness to accept a U.S. proposal for an "immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire" following talks with a U.S. delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to a joint statement, Reuters reports.
The statement, issued after hours of consultations between senior officials from the two countries, said the truce could be extended by mutual agreement, adding that "the United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace."
Washington has agreed to "immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine," the statement said, adding that both sides discussed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts, particularly during the ceasefire period.
Negotiators also agreed to appoint teams to begin talks aimed at reaching a lasting peace. The United States reaffirmed its commitment to engaging with Russian representatives, while Ukraine emphasized the need for European partners to be involved in the process, the statement said.
Additionally, both nations' leaders agreed to finalize "as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine's critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine's economy," it added.
The announcement followed a high-level meeting attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
The Ukrainian delegation included President Volodymyr Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and others.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and National Security Advisor Musaed bin Muhammad Al-Aiban also took part in the discussions.
The United States agreed on Tuesday (March 11) to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine immediately after talks in Saudi Arabia in which Kyiv voiced readiness to accept a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in its conflict with Russia, the countries said in a joint statement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would now take the offer to the Russians, and that the ball is now in Moscow's court. "The President wanted this war to end yesterday... So our hope is that the Russians will answer 'yes' as quickly as possible," Rubio told reporters, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump, after the statement was issued.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was in Saudi Arabia but did not participate in the talks, said the ceasefire was a "positive proposal," that covers the frontline in the conflict, not just fighting by air and sea.
The two sides also said Washington and Kyiv agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources, a deal that has been in the works for weeks and was thrown into limbo by an acrimonious White House meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy last week.
Zelenskiy said the two countries would work to finalize the minerals agreement.
