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Ukraine agrees to 30-day truce as US prepares to lift military aid restrictions
American and Ukrainian officials held talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a major breakthrough in the talks between the United States and Ukraine amid the Russian war, the Donald Trump administration agreed to resume the sharing of military intelligence with Kyiv, while the latter said it was open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Moscow.
American and Ukrainian officials held talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio said that US will tell Russia "what's on the table", adding that Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. "And now it'll be up to them to say yes or no," he added.
US national security advisory Mike Waltz said that one thing the Ukrainian delegation made very clear was that they share President Donald Trump's "vision for peace".
Waltz said that Ukrainian officials “got into substantive details on how this war is going to permanently end,” including long-term security guarantees.
The discussions came hours after Russia show down more than 300 Ukrainian drones in what was Kyiv's biggest attack since Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The talks, held in Jeddah, was attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and NSA Mike Waltz, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha and head of presidential office Andriy Yermak. Saudi foreign ministry Faisal bin Farhan and national security advisory Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban were also present at the meeting.
Notably, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, despite being present in Saudi Arabia, did not take part in the talks. He described the ceasefire as a "positive proposal" that not just covers fighting by air and sea but also the conflict's frontline.
Additionally, both the sides have also agreed to conclude the critical mineral resources deal with Ukraine as soon as possible. The minerals agreement is one such deal that has been in the works for weeks but was thrown into a chaotic situation after a harsh interaction between Trump and Zelensky at the Oval Office last week.
Zelensky also reaffirmed that both the nations will work towards finalizing the minerals agreement.
A top aide to Zelensky, without disclosing any other details, noted that the options for security guarantees to Ukraine were also discussed with the US officials at the meeting.
What does the joint statement say?
The joint statement of the US and Ukraine that was issued after the hours-long bilateral talks said that both sides agreed that it is high time that the process towards a lasting peace begins.
Pending Russia's agreement, Ukraine also expressed readiness to accept America's ceasefire proposal, an interim 30-day truce, that can be further extended by mutual agreement of both the sides.
Meanwhile, America will "immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine".
The statement further mentioned that the two sides also discussed the significance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process, including the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.
"Both delegations agreed to name their negotiating teams and immediately begin negotiations toward an enduring peace that provides for Ukraine’s long-term security," it added.
After the statement was issued, Marco Rubio said affirmed that the US president wanted for this (Russia-Ukraine) war "to end yesterday".
"So 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," the US State Secretary added.
