Ukraine has said it was ready to accept a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States during critical peace talks between the officials of the two countries in Saudi Arabia.
“Ukraine accepts this proposal,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding, “We consider it positive, we are ready to take such a step.” He also called upon the United States to it “must convince” Russia to do so.
Zelenskyy sent his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz attended the meeting from Washington’s side.
Immediately after the meeting, Rubio saod that the onus is now on Russia to take steps to end the war. “We hope that they’ll say yes, that they’ll say yes to peace. The ball is now in their court,” Rubio said, reported CNN.
US President Donald Trump also welcomed the news and said he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the plan, potentially this week.
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Suspension Of Fighting, Minerals Deal
During the marathon talks in Jeddah, Ukraine proposed for the ceasefire to include “silence” in the sky and at sea, the release of Ukrainian prisoners “to establish confidence in this whole situation,” and the return of Ukrainian children from Russia.
However, the ceasefire proposal that was accepted by Kyiv covers the entire front line of fighting with Russia, not just the air and sea.
In a joint statement, the US said it would “immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.”
The development comes as a huge relief for Ukraine after the high-drama Oval Office spat between Trump and Zelenskyy less than two weeks ago.
The US and Ukraine also agreed to conclude a rare minerals deal “as soon as possible” that would give the United States a 50 per cent stake in revenues from the sale of Ukraine’s mineral wealth.
Trump Vows To Speak With Putin
Trump said he hopes to speak with Putin later this week, as per the CNN report. He also hoped a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine would take effect “over the next few days.”
If the Russian side agrees to the ceasefire, it would be the first to take place in more than three years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“I’ll talk to Vladimir Putin, I want to get – look, that’s the other, it takes two to tango, as they say, right?” Trump said. “So hopefully he’ll also agree.”
A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson told CNN that it doesn’t rule out contact with US representatives in “the next few days.”
