The United States and Ukraine announced today, Tuesday, in a joint statement, that Kiev agreed to an American proposal for an immediate ceasefire for 30 days and taking steps towards restoring permanent peace after the Russian invasion, according to Reuters.
The statement added that the proposed ceasefire “can be extended with mutual approval on both sides, and is subject to acceptance and coinciding by Russia, and that the United States will inform Moscow that the reciprocity of Russia is the key to achieving peace.”
The statement also reported that during their meeting in Saudi Arabia, the two sides agreed to conclude a comprehensive agreement as soon as possible to develop biological mineral resources in Ukraine.
For its part, Washington agreed to stop the suspension of military aid and exchange intelligence with Kiev immediately, as stated in a joint statement today.
The Ukrainian presidency said that the American and Ukrainian delegations discussed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process, especially during the proposed ceasefire, “including the exchange of prisoners, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of the forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.”
The ball is in Russia’s stadium
In the first comment on the new agreement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Russia must decide whether to accept the ceasefire with Ukraine, which he said was ready for negotiations.
“We will now transfer this offer to the Russians, and we hope to agree to peace,” Rubio told reporters after talking more than eight hours in Jeddah. The ball is now in their stadium, ”while National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said he will speak to his Russian counterpart.
Convincing Moscow
For his part, Ukrainian President Folodimir Zellinski said that Washington should “persuade” Moscow to accept a 30 -day ceasefire proposal.
“The United States must persuade Russia to do this,” Zellinski said in his daily speech on social media, adding that Ukraine is looking at the armistice proposal “positively.”
This comes after the White House announced that the ongoing talks with Ukraine in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were “positive” and “fruitful”, while US President Donald Trump presses Kiev to reach an agreement with Russia to end the war.
