After meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the American and the Ukrainian delegations issued a joint statement through the US State Department, claiming that Ukraine is ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire. The ceasefire agreement ‘can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,’ the press release writes.
This is a major development towards a permanent peace deal which seemed to be slipping away after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was asked to leave the White House prematurely during his meeting with President Trump on 28 February. President Trump has now expressed his intention to invite President Zelenskyy back to the White House. In turn, President Zelenskyy thanked President Trump for ‘the constructiveness of our teams’ conversation’ in Saudi Arabia.
Also, as per the new agreement, the US government will resume sharing its intelligence with the Ukrainians, a practice it terminated on 5 March, in the aftermath of the Trump–Zelenskyy spat in the White House.
‘The ball is now in Russia’s court,’ US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters after the meeting with the Ukrainians, according to the reporting by BBC. He also stated that his team will ‘take this offer now to the Russians,’ and he is hoping Russia will accept the proposal. In response to a question, Secretary Rubio answered that there is no deadline set for the Russians to accept the agreement, but he hopes that they will do so ‘as soon as possible’.
‘Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking,’ he stressed.
However, the mineral rights deal between Ukraine and the United States, which President Zelenskyy originally travelled to sign in Washington, DC in February, was not signed in Saudi Arabia either. Secretary Rubio explained that it simply was not the subject of the talks held today. So, the minerals deal is still very much on the table.
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