Furthermore, Washington has also consented to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
What did Rubio say about the talks with Ukraine?
After more than eight hours of negotiations with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington would present the offer to Russia.
“Our hope is that the Russians will answer ‘yes’ as quickly as possible, so we can proceed to the next phase, which is real negotiations,” Rubio told reporters.
With Trump applying strong pressure on Kyiv and reaching out to Moscow, Ukrainian officials participated in the talks aiming to reconcile with Washington and proposed a partial truce on air and sea attacks.
Trump’s advisors urged for more and reported that Ukraine agreed to their proposal for a broader month-long ceasefire.
“Today, we made an offer that the Ukrainians have accepted, which is to enter into a ceasefire and immediate negotiations,” Rubio told reporters after the talks in Jeddah.
“We will now present this offer to the Russians and hope they will agree to peace. The ball is now in their court.”
“If they say no, then we will know what the obstacle to peace is,” Rubio said of Russia, which initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
US to resume aid, intelligence sharing
Rubio stated that the United States would immediately reinstate military aid and intelligence sharing it had ceased following a contentious meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month.
And Tuesday’s developments led Trump to stating that he was prepared to welcome Zelenskyy back to the White House and might speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the week.
When asked about the prospects of a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump said: “Well, I hope it will be over in the next few days, I would like to see.”
“I know we have a big meeting with Russia tomorrow and hopefully, some great conversations will follow.”
Ukraine, US to sign minerals deal
In a joint statement, Ukraine and the US announced they would conclude “as soon as possible” a deal securing Washington’s access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
Zelenskyy was supposed to sign the deal at the White House before a dramatic confrontation on February 28, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance confronted the Ukrainian president, accusing him of a lack of gratitude.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Trump regarding the “positive” ceasefire proposal made in Jeddah and stated the the US should now pressure Russia to accept.
“The American side understands our arguments, sees our proposals, and I want to thank President Trump for the constructive conversation between our teams,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address.
Macron cautiously welcomes progress
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the progress made in talks.
“The ball is now clearly in Russia’s court,” Macron posted on X, echoing comments from Rubio.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also used the same expression.
Macron noted that France and its partners do not just want any peace agreement, but one that is “supported by robust security guarantees for Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry downplayed the significance of the Jeddah meeting.
“The shaping of the position of the Russian Federation does not take place abroad due to some agreements or efforts of some parties. The formation of the position of the Russian Federation takes place within the Russian Federation,” ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted by Russian state news agency TASS as saying.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
