Ukraine said on Tuesday it was ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire as part of a US proposal after Ukrainian and US officials met behind closed doors for direct talks.
Both delegations agreed to immediately “begin negotiations toward an enduring peace that provides for Ukraine’s long-term security”, according to a joint readout from the bilateral talks in Saudi Arabia.
It was the first direct encounter between the two sides since the public Oval Office spat between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump on 28 February which has haunted relations between Washington and Kyiv and other Western partners.
The US and Ukraine agreed to “conclude as soon as possible” the much-discussed deal “on the development of Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to strengthen Ukraine’s economy and ensure Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security,” the readout said.
Kyiv said it would accept a US proposal for “an immediate temporary, 30-day ceasefire, which may be extended by mutual consent of the parties, subject to acceptance and simultaneous implementation by the Russian Federation.”
Washington, in turn, said it would “immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine,” the joint statement said.
The US State Department separately announced that Washington would immediately lift the ban on intelligence sharing and assistance with Ukraine, which was suspended last week.
Ukraine had long refused any ceasefire agreement that would not include US security guarantees. It was not immediately clear whether Kyiv had received any commitments.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the talks his country’s “proposal for this meeting with the Americans consisted of three points.” They included “silence in the skies – meaning no missiles, bombs, or long-range drones – and silence at sea; and real measures to establish confidence in this whole situation, in which diplomacy is ongoing, which means, primarily, the release of prisoners,” Zelenskyy said.
“The American side understands our arguments and accepts our proposals, I would like to thank President Trump for the constructive nature of the dialogue between our teams,” he added.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine considered the ceasefire proposal as “positive” and was “ready to take this step”, but it was for the US “to convince Russia to do so” too.
Washington committed to discussing the proposals with Russian counterparts. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow later this week and meet with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“The best goodwill gesture the Russians can provide is to say yes, to say yes to the offer that the Ukrainians have made to stop the shooting, to stop the fighting, to get to the table,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters after the talks, standing next to Witkoff.
“The ball is in Russia’s court,” he added.
