Amid talks with US in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine agrees to 30-day ceasefire

Jeddah: Following discussions with a US delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine reportedly indicated that it was willing to accept a US proposal for an "immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire", according to a joint statement.

Senior officials from the two nations conferred for hours before issuing the statement, which stated that a mutual agreement by both countries may prolong the truce, adding that "the United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace."

Washington has agreed to "immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine," the statement said, adding that both sides discussed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts, particularly during the ceasefire period, Xinhua news agency reported.

Negotiators also agreed to appoint teams to begin talks aimed at reaching a lasting peace. The US reaffirmed its commitment to engaging with Russian representatives, while Ukraine emphasised the need for European partners to be involved in the process, the statement said.

Additionally, both nations' leaders agreed to finalise "as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine's critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine's economy," it added.

The announcement followed a high-level meeting attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

The Ukrainian delegation included President Volodymyr Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and others. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and National Security Advisor Musaed bin Muhammad Al-Aiban also took part in the discussions.

At a press conference following the talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope that Russia would accept the proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Ukraine.

He said Ukraine's commitment will "be delivered to them directly through multiple channels," "through our diplomatic channels, through conversations, and other methods."

"The ball is in their court," said Rubio, noting that if Kremlin rejects the proposal, "then we'll, unfortunately, know what the impediment is to peace here."

Zelensky described the meeting as "good and constructive" on social media platform X. "If Russia agrees, the ceasefire will take effect immediately," Zelensky said.

US President Donald Trump said he expects to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week and hopes Russia also agrees to the terms.

When asked how close he thinks Ukraine and Russia are to a total ceasefire, Trump said, "I hope it'll be over the next few days."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian state news agencies, "We do not rule out contacts with US representatives within the next few days."

According to Russian media reports, Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for Putin, said Moscow expected Washington to inform about the talks with Ukraine, stressing that there should not be premature celebration.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X that the European Union welcomes the US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah, including the proposal for a ceasefire and the resumption of US intelligence sharing and security assistance.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on European and NATO military chiefs to draw up a plan "to define credible security guarantees" for Ukraine as peace negotiations accelerated.

With inputs from IANS