Following crucial discussions with US officials in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine “expressed readiness to accept” an immediate 30-day ceasefire.
Delegates from Kyiv agreed to accept the Trump administration’s proposal for a 30-day interim ceasefire with Russia, and the U.S. will immediately lift a freeze on intelligence sharing and begin security aid to Ukraine.
“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties,” a joint statement following negotiations in Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday.
“The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace,” said the statement.
The Kremlin refrained from commenting right away.
Since an unprecedented on-camera altercation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on February 28, the future of U.S. support for Kyiv has been seriously questioned. Following that encounter, the Trump administration suspended the exchange of intelligence with Kyiv.
Meanwhile, a number of policy initiatives by the Trump administration signal a shift toward more cooperation with Russia, which has long been regarded as a major geopolitical adversary of the West. For his part, Trump referred to Zelenskiy—not Vladimir Putin—as a dictator and made unfounded accusations that Ukraine was the cause of the conflict.
Outside the White House on Tuesday, Trump gave reporters a brief statement regarding the 30-day ceasefire announcement, saying, “Ukraine has agreed to it and hopefully Russia will agree to it.” When asked if he would invite Zelenskyy back to the White House, Trump said, “Sure, absolutely.”
In his nightly speech to the country, Zelenskyy hailed the ceasefire plan as a “positive step,” stating that Ukraine wants to “do everything to achieve peace as quickly and reliably as possible — so that war never returns.”
Trump and Zelenskyy “agreed to conclude as soon as possible” a contract to develop Ukraine’s vital natural resources, according to a joint statement released by the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations on Tuesday. The agreement aims to “expand” Ukraine’s economy and “guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security.”
Following the Trump-Zelenskiy dispute, the minerals deal was put on hold.
“The delegations also discussed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process, particularly during the above-mentioned ceasefire, including the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children,” according to the joint statement.
Hours after Russia claimed to have shot down over 330 Ukrainian drones, the statement was made. According to Russian officials, the onslaught was the worst assault on Moscow and the surrounding region since Putin’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with two fatalities and eighteen injuries.
According to Kyiv, its aims included facilities for pipeline control and oil production.
By :- Next Tech Plus
