Kyiv has agreed to enter into a 30-day cease-fire with Moscow as a means of kickstarting further talks to end the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war.
Delegations from Washington and Kyiv shared a joint statement on March 11 announcing the proposed 30-day pause in the fighting, after concluding a lengthy round of discussions in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House national security adviser Mike Waltz represented the United States at the Jeddah talks, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov represented Kyiv.
While the Jeddah plan calls for an initial 30-day halt to the fighting, Russia and Ukraine could agree to extend this temporary cease-fire as they work toward a more lasting peace agreement.
It remains to be seen how Moscow will respond to the proposed cease-fire and other developments out of Jeddah.
“We‘ll take this offer now to the Russians and we hope that they’ll say yes,” Rubio said in a press statement following the meeting.
Tuesday’s talks in Jeddah offered an opportunity for the representatives from Washington and Kyiv to resume in-person discussions, after a Feb. 28 Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy devolved into an argument over Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate and make compromises with Russia.
In the days after the Oval Office clash, Trump ordered a pause on all U.S. aid flowing to Ukraine, including intelligence sharing.
Following the Jeddah talks, the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations announced the United States would lift its hold on intelligence sharing with Ukraine and resume security assistance.
Trump Team Praises Kyiv’s Efforts
Ahead of the Jeddah talks, Rubio said the Trump administration was looking for clear indications that Ukraine is prepared to make compromises to achieve peace.“The most important thing that we have to leave here with is a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to do difficult things,” Rubio told reporters on March 10, while en route to the meeting.
Rubio said Russia would also have to prepare for difficult decisions to facilitate an eventual peace arrangement.
Asked what specific difficult decisions the Trump administration expects Ukraine to prepare for, Rubio said both sides need to conclude that the current conflict cannot be resolved by military means.
Addressing reporters following the Tuesday meetings in Jeddah, Rubio said the 30-day cease-fire proposal does indeed mark a positive shift by Kyiv.
“The President’s objective here is, number one, above everything else, he wants the war to end. And I think today, Ukraine has taken a concrete step in that regard,” the Secretary of State said. “We hope the Russians will reciprocate.”
Waltz, standing alongside Rubio, credited Trump with advancing the peace process.
“We’ve gone from ‘if’ the war is going to end to now ‘how’ the war is going to end,” Waltz said. “And this was an important first step, and that was under President Trump’s leadership. He has literally moved the entire global conversation.”
Fighting Still Rages
Just hours before the talks began, Ukrainian forces launched hundreds of attack drones into 10 different Russian regions. Russian authorities reported downing 343 of the attack drones, but assessed three people were killed and 18 were injured, including three children.
In his Tuesday video address, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian representatives proposed three measures to advance the peace process.
The first of those would be to halt missile strikes, long-range drone attacks, and other forms of aerial bombardment.
Secondly, Zelenskyy called for a halt to fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces at sea. Ukrainian forces have targeted Russian warships and ports in the Black Sea throughout the war, and Russia has at times sought to block cargo ships from reaching Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president praised the 30-day cease-fire proposal, which he said would achieve not only by land and air, but along the entire front line of the conflict if Russia agrees to the proposal.
As a third measure to advance the peace process, Zelenskyy called for increased exchanges of military prisoners of war and civilian detainees on both sides of the conflict “and the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly transferred to Russia.”
