Ukraine Tuesday backed a U.S. plan for a 30-day ceasefire if Russia agrees, a deal that Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated places “the ball in (Putin’s) court.”
In a breakthrough after daylong talks in Saudi Arabia, American officers stated the Ukrainian delegation backed the plan for a pause to hostilities within the worst floor conflict in Europe since World Warfare II.
“Ukraine is ready to start talking and stop shooting,” Rubio stated in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
American diplomats will now take the proposal to their Russian counterparts.
“We hope that they’ll say yes, that they’ll say yes to peace,” Rubio stated. “The ball is now in their court.”
The U.S. agreed to instantly finish the pause to weapons shipments and intelligence sharing with Kyiv that was carried out after the disastrous White Home assembly between President Trump and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy concern a press release backing the ceasefire settlement, which requires a brief halt to all combating within the three-year battle.
He stated the response of strongman Vladimir Putin would present the world whether or not Russia is actually prepared to finish the conflict it began when it invaded its neighbor in 2022.
“Ukraine is ready for peace,” Zelenskyy stated. “Russia must show its readiness to end the war or continue the war.”
Rubio additionally stated the Russians’ response would make clear whether or not a viable path to peace exists.
“If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here,” America’s high diplomat stated.
There was no rapid response from Russia. Trump particular envoy Steve Witkoff is anticipated to journey later this week to Moscow, the place he might meet with Putin.
Trump stated he’ll attempt to converse to Putin in regards to the ceasefire proposal this week. “It takes two to tango, as they say,” Trump stated.
Ukrainian and U.S. officers additionally stated they might maintain discussing a proposed deal on Ukraine’s mineral wealth, though that was not the primary focus of the Saudi talks.
For Ukraine, the deal marks a significant step in the direction of repairing its essential alliance with the U.S. after Trump signaled a significant shift away from robust U.S. help for its embattled ally.
Trump and Zelenskyy traded barbs in a outstanding White Home assembly that led the Republican president to counsel Ukraine is extra of an impediment to peace than Russia.
Trump ordered a halt to army help and intelligence sharing, a transfer that Moscow hailed as a significant diplomatic victory.
Even when the 2 sides conform to a ceasefire, there isn’t any assure they’ll forge an enduring peace.
Russia is demanding Ukraine hand over a number of provinces that it annexed in wartime strikes that the worldwide group has rejected. It needs Ukraine to agree to not search to affix NATO.
Ukraine needs its highly effective neighbor to retreat to its internationally acknowledged borders, which might imply giving up traditionally Russian-dominated areas like Crimea and the mineral-rich Donbas.
Russia mounted a lightning-quick offensive within the first days of the invasion in 2022, practically reaching Kyiv. However Ukrainian forces quicky recovered large chunks of misplaced territory.
The conflict settled right into a brutal battle of attrition with restricted motion alongside a frontline stretching for 600 miles via muck of jap Ukraine.
Russia has just lately stepped up assaults in hopes of breaking the lengthy stalemate, particularly because it smelled a bonus with Trump pressuring Zelenskyy to compromise to win peace.
Initially Revealed: March 11, 2025 at 4:04 PM EDT
