The US will restart sharing intelligence with Ukraine after successful talks in Saudi Arabia Tuesday resulted in Kyiv accepting a Washington proposal to enact “an immediate, interim 30-day cease-fire,” the two nations announced in a joint statement on Tuesday.
Though Kyiv agreed to the Trump administration’s proposal, it will now be up to Moscow to accept the same agreement to bring about a much-needed peace in Ukraine.
“Both delegations agreed to name their negotiating teams and immediately begin negotiations toward an enduring peace that provides for Ukraine’s long-term security,” the countries said.
“The United States committed to discussing these specific proposals with representatives from Russia. The Ukrainian delegation reiterated that European partners shall be involved in the peace process.”
The Trump proposal involved not only a cease-fire, but also a commitment to begin “immediate negotiations to end this conflict in a way that’s enduring and sustainable,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters after the meeting concluded shortly after 2 p.m.
However, Moscow has shown no willingness so far to commit to a cease-fire — let alone negotiations that would include anything less than Kyiv’s utter surrender.
It will now be up to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to make the case to Russia that it is in its best interests to come to the negotiating table, as Bloomberg reported Monday that he will soon head to Moscow for talks with Russia.
During the roughly seven-hour meeting, the Ukrainian delegation “reiterated the Ukrainian people’s strong gratitude to President Trump, the U.S. Congress, and the people of the United States for making possible meaningful progress toward peace.”
At an explosive meeting with President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 28, Vice President JD Vance had criticized the latter for not saying “thank you” during the meeting.
Tuesday’s talks — which involved Witkoff and Rubio on the US side and U Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov for Kyiv — appeared to smooth over a turbulent week and a half of relations between the two nations following the Oval Office kerfuffle.”
“Representatives of both nations praised the bravery of the Ukrainian people in defense of their nation and agreed that now is the time to begin a process toward lasting peace,” Washington and Kyiv said in the statement.
