Ukraine has accepted Donald Trump’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia during crunch talks in Saudi Arabia in which the US agreed to lift its pause on intelligence sharing and “security assistance”.
In the coastal city of Jeddah, there was fresh optimism that peace talks were back on track after last month’s calamitous meeting between the US president and Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Trump administration subsequently suspended intelligence sharing and military aid with Ukraine in order to pressure Zelensky to enter talks to end the war with Vladimir Putin’s invading forces.
The talks in Saudi Arabia produced a commitment that the US would renew intelligence and “security support”. It was not immediately clear whether this includes the resumption of military aid.
Who attended the meeting?
Volodymyr Zelensky sent his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, to meet with Donald Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in the hope of mending bridges following the leaders’ clash during their chaotic Oval Office meeting last month.
What was agreed?
After a gruelling eight hour negotiation, the two countries released a joint statement.
Ukraine said it “expressed readiness to accept the US 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 statement added: “The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.”
Mr Zelensky said at the meeting that Ukraine proposed three key points: silence in the skies—stopping missile strikes, bombs, and long-range drone attacks; silence at sea; real confidence-building measures in this whole situation, in which diplomacy is ongoing, which primarily means the release of prisoners of war and detainees—both military and civilian—and the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly transferred to Russia.
After the announcement of the ceasefire deal, Donald Trump told reporters: “Hopefully, president Putin can agree to it also and we can get this show on the road.”
Mr Zelensky has called on Russia to accept the ceasefire deal his team have agreed with the United States.
He posted on X: “Our position remains absolutely clear: Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war, and we want to do everything to achieve it as soon as possible and in a reliable way—so that war does not return.
“Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal—we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it. Now, it is up to the United States to convince Russia to do the same. If Russia agrees, the ceasefire will take effect immediately.”
What does Russia think of deal?
Marco Rubio said the US would now take the offer to Russia, and the ball is in Moscow’s court. “Our hope is that the Russians will answer ‘yes’ as quickly as possible, so we can get to the second phase of this, which is real negotiations,” Rubio told reporters.
Rubio said the plan would be delivered to the Russians through multiple channels. Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, was due to meet his Russian counterpart in the coming days and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to visit Moscow this week to meet Putin.
But how Moscow would respond to the ceasefire deal was far from certain.
Despite the announcement, Russia launched an overnight air attack on Kyiv, with air defence forces engaged in repelling the strikes, Vitali Klitschko, mayor of the Ukrainian capital, said on Wednesday.
But the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it didn’t rule out contacts with the United States representatives over next several days, state news agency RIA reported.
Mr Trump said he thought he would talk to Mr Putin about it this week.
Mr Putin has said he is open to discussing a peace deal, but he and his diplomats have repeatedly stated they are against a ceasefire and would seek a deal that safeguards Russia’s “long-term security.”
Previously, Putin has ruled out territorial concessions and said Ukraine must withdraw fully from four Ukrainian regions claimed and partly controlled by Russia.
How are world leaders reacting to the deal?
Ursula Von der Leyen has joined world leaders in saying the ball is now in Russia’s court after the agreement.
The president of the EU Commission posted on X: “We welcome today’s news from Jeddah on the US-Ukraine talks, including the proposal for a ceasefire agreement and the resumption of US intelligence sharing and security assistance.
“This is a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The ball is now in Russia’s court. The EU is ready to play its full part, together with its partners, in the upcoming peace negotiations.”
Prime minister Keir Starmer welcomed a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has agreed to and said it was now up to Russia to end the fighting.
“As both American and Ukrainian delegations have said, the ball is now in the Russian court,” Starmer said in a statement, congratulating both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump for the “remarkable breakthrough”.
Starmer said he would use a meeting of world leaders that Britain is convening on Saturday to discuss next steps.
“We are ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom,” he said.
