Following a day of US-Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine has stated that it is prepared to accept the US’s proposal for an immediate 30-day truce with Russia.
Moscow has not yet made a public statement on the matter, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that “the ball is in their court” and that he will convey the idea to Russia.
According to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky, the US must now persuade Russia to accept the “positive” plan.
The first formal meeting between the two nations since the remarkable confrontation between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on February 28 took place in Jeddah on Tuesday.
The United States also stated in a joint statement that it will immediately resume security assistance and intelligence cooperation with Ukraine, which Washington had halted following the historic White House dispute.
“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 statement from the United States and Ukraine stated.
Rubio expressed his hope that Russia will embrace the idea at a press appearance in Jeddah late Tuesday.
He declared that Ukraine was “ready to stop shooting and start talking” and that “we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here” if Russia turned down the offer.
“Today we made an offer that the Ukrainians have accepted, which is to enter into a ceasefire and into immediate negotiations,” he stated.
In the hopes that they will accept peace, we will now present this offer to the Russians. Now it’s their turn,” he continued.
According to a person familiar with the preparations, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who attended the Jeddah discussions, is scheduled to visit Russia in the next few days, though this could quickly change, the BBC said.
In addition to Zelensky’s suggestion of a partial truce in the air and at sea, a 30-day ceasefire is being offered.
Trump was commended by the Ukrainian president for “the constructiveness” of the Jeddah negotiations.
Zelensky stated that Russia has to “show its willingness to stop the war or continue the war” in a video message.
“It is time for the full truth,” he continued.
As of yet, the Kremlin has not made a public statement. Earlier Tuesday, it indicated it will release a statement following a briefing by Washington on the results of the negotiations.
However, Kostantin Kosachev, a prominent Russian senator, stated that any such accords would be “on our terms, not American”.
The chairman of the Federation Council’s international affairs committee, Mikhail Kosachev, emphasized that Russian soldiers were moving forward in Ukraine and stated that “real agreements are still being written… at the front.”
In February 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory is currently under Russian control.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he would talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who would “hopefully” accept the idea.
Trump stated that “it takes two to tango, as they say,” and expressed his optimism that the agreement will be reached within the next few days.
“We have a big meeting with Russia tomorrow, and some great conversations hopefully will ensue.”
“I’m open to inviting Zelensky back to Washington,” he continued.
According to Russia’s state-owned news agency Tass, Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the country’s foreign ministry, stated that Russia has not ruled out holding discussions with US officials in the coming days.
In response to a reporter’s question on whether Trump and Zelensky’s relationship was “back on track,” Rubio expressed his optimism that “peace” was the key.
“This is not Mean Girls, this is not some episode of some television show,” he stated.
“Today people will die in this war, they died yesterday and – sadly – unless there’s a ceasefire, they will die tomorrow.”
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