Ukraine agreed to accept a 30-day ceasefire today following negotiations with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia today. Russia has not yet agreed to the deal.
Rubio, who announced the deal upon the conclusion of negotiations, said the ceasefire is a first step to larger negotiations to create an enduring peace.
“Today we made an offer that the Ukrainians accepted, which is to enter into a ceasefire and into immediate negotiations to end this conflict in a way that is enduring and sustainable and accounts for their interests, their stability, and their ability to prosper as a nation,” Rubio said.
In a joint statement by the United States and Ukraine, leaders called the negotiations “steps toward restoring durable peace for Ukraine.”
Ukraine agreed to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire which could be extended by mutual agreement, pending Russian approval and implementation.
“Representatives of both nations praised the bravery of the Ukrainian people in defense of their nation and agreed that now is the time to begin a process toward lasting peace,” the statement read. “The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace.”
Rubio said the ball is now in Russia’s court.
“We hope that they will say yes to peace,” Rubio said. “The ball is now in their court.”
Following the talks, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told reporters that Trump made the conversation switch from “if the war would end to now how the war is going to end.”
The statement also added that the United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.
Topics of discussion during the talks also included humanitarian relief efforts, including the exchange of prisoners of war, release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.
“The Ukrainian delegation reiterated the Ukrainian people’s strong gratitude to President Trump, the U.S. Congress, and the people of the United States for making possible meaningful progress toward peace,” the statement added.
Both delegations are set to name their negotiation teams and begin negotiations for an enduring peace. The Ukrainian delegation insisted that European partners should be involved in the peace process, according to the statement.
The statement also said that the United States and Ukraine will conclude its mineral deal that was set to be signed last month until President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a broadcast White House meeting last month that ended with the Ukrainian leader being asked to leave.
“He has literally moved the entire global conversation,” Waltz said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan on Tuesday that Zelensky apologized to Trump in a letter.
Leavitt added that Rubio’s meeting with the Ukrainians was “positive.”
On Tuesday, Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on the area of Moscow during which 343 drones were downed over Russia, three employees of a meat warehouse were killed and 17 other people were injured, Reuters reported. Russia attacked Ukraine on Tuesday with a ballistic missile and 126 drones over various parts of the country, injuring two people, Reuters reported.
The ballistic Iskander-M missile and 79 of the drones were shot down, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The attack reportedly set a fuel storage facility, a private home, and a storage site for children’s toys, on fire in Odesa, according to Reuters.
