Ukraine on Tuesday said it will agree to a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, after a Saudi-hosted meeting between delegations from Kyiv and Washington.
In exchange, the US has agreed to “immediately” restore intelligence sharing, according to a joint statement by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
US President Donald Trump “wants the war to end, and I think today, Ukraine has taken a concrete step in that regard”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the meeting. “We hope the Russians will reciprocate.”
Mr Trump welcomed the apparent breakthrough and said he hoped Russia would make a deal. “If we can get Russia to do it, that'll be great. If we can't, we just keep going on and people are going to get killed, lots of people,” he said at the White House.
He added that he would talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin “this week”. “It takes two to tango, so hopefully he'll also agree,” Mr Trump said.
Delegations from the US and Ukraine met in Jeddah, after talks at the White House last month ended disastrously when he and Vice President JD Vance assailed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for appearing “disrespectful” by not saying thank you enough.
“It's a big difference between the last visit you saw in the Oval Office,” Mr Trump said adding that he would invite Mr Zelenskyy back to the White House.
The US last week paused intelligence sharing with Kyiv, after a halt in military aid, moves that appeared to be aimed at forcing the US ally to the negotiating table.
Tuesday's developments come more than three years after Russia invaded Ukraine. Kyiv wants to demonstrate that Mr Zelenskyy is aligned with Mr Trump’s push for a swift end to the conflict. Mr Trump has accused Mr Zelenskyy of not being prepared for peace, with the US administration holding direct talks with Russia.
US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said negotiators “got into substantive details on how this war is going to permanently end”, including long-term security guarantees.
“The Ukrainian delegation today made something very clear, that they share President Trump’s vision for peace,” he said.
The Kremlin did not immediately offer a response. Russia has said it is ready to cease hostilities on condition that Ukraine drops its bid to join Nato and recognises regions that Moscow occupies as Russian. Russia has captured nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted images on X that showed officials from Kyiv walking to the meeting, hours after Ukrainian troops launched their largest drone attack on Moscow to date. He also posted photos from the talks.
“We see this meeting as a great opportunity to advance peace and develop the Ukraine-US strategic partnership,” Mr Sybiha said in the post. “The constructive atmosphere proves we can use this opportunity. Ukraine wants peace as no one else.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan represented the kingdom at the talks. The meeting was also attended by Andriy Yermak, Mr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, who is leading the Ukrainian delegation.
Mr Zelenskyy met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, with the Ukrainian leader thanking the kingdom for its role in peace efforts. They discussed working to achieve a “sustainable, fair and comprehensive” peace in Ukraine, according to a joint statement published by state news agency SPA.
During the meeting in Jeddah, Prince Mohammed expressed Saudi support for international efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine and achieve peace, SPA reported.
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