Today, following nine hours of talks, US and Ukrainian delegations released a joint statement announcing that Kyiv had agreed to accept the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the ongoing conflict with Russian forces.
The United States immediately lifted the suspension of intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, which had been imposed following a heated debate between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House last month.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz addressed the media, stating that Kyiv had taken positive, concrete steps toward peace. They emphasized that the ball is now in Russia’s court.
The ceasefire proposal will be sent to Russian officials, with hopes for Moscow’s agreement. Secretary Rubio mentioned President Trump’s goal of ending the three-year conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible.
However, the US officials did not provide a specific timeline for Russia’s response.
The two parties also agreed to a deal on American access to Ukrainian rare-earth minerals, though the agreement was not signed during this meeting. Rubio clarified that this was not the main topic of the talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US delegation for the constructive discussions and clarified that the ceasefire proposal includes a halt to air and naval attacks, extending across the entire battlefield. Ukrainian officials had initially proposed a ceasefire on airstrikes over the Black Sea, but after extensive negotiations, both sides agreed to cease all fighting for 30 days.
The meeting, which took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was the first high-level engagement between the two countries since the White House debate.
