The Trump administration lifted the suspension of Ukrainian military aid and sharing intelligence news, and Kiev has put aside the Moscow deal, signaling that it is open for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, US and Ukrainian officials said Tuesday following talks in Saudi Arabia.
The administration’s decision showed a sudden change from just a week ago, when Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky imposed measures in clear efforts to encourage Russian troops to enter consultations to end the war. The suspension of US aid comes days after Zelensky and President Donald Trump discussed the conflict at a tense White House meeting.
The US Secretary of State has led the US delegation to talks in Jeddah, and said Washington will offer the Kremlin a ceasefire offer.
“I’ll tell them this is what’s on the table. Ukraine is ready to stop filming and start talking, and now it’s up to them to say yes or no,” Rubio told reporters after the speech. “If they say no, unfortunately, they’ll know what the obstacles to peace here are.”
Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz added: “Today, the Ukrainian delegation has made it very clear that President Trump shares his vision of peace.”
Tuesday’s discussion, which lasted almost eight hours, appeared to have rested, at least for now, the hostility between Trump and Zelensky that erupted during an oval office meeting last month.
Waltz said the negotiators “have entered into substantial details on how this war would end forever,” including long-term security guarantees. And he said Trump agreed to immediately lift the suspension of billions of dollars in US military aid and intelligence news sharing supplies.
I’m looking for a deal with Russia
Trump said he hopes the agreement will be finalized “for the next few days.”
“I’ve said that Russia is much easier to deal with than Ukraine. “But it is and we want to get Russia. But we have a complete ceasefire from Ukraine. That’s good.”
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The Kremlin did not immediately comment on US and Ukraine statements. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakhalova said that negotiations will only be held with US authorities this week.
Trump envoy Steve Witkov is scheduled to travel to Moscow later this week, where he was able to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. The person warned that scheduling could change.
Authorities met in Saudi Arabia just hours after Russia fired down more than 300 Ukrainian drones in Ukraine’s biggest attack since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion. Neither we nor the Ukrainian authorities provided any comments on the barrage of the barrage.
Russia has also launched 126 drones and ballistic missiles in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force said as part of the relentless throbbing of Moscow’s civilian regions.
Zelenskyy updates its call for lasting peace
In a speech posted shortly after the end of Tuesday’s talks, Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s commitment to lasting peace, highlighting that the country has been seeking an end to the war from the start.
“Our position is absolutely clear. Ukraine has been working for peace since the first seconds of this war. We want to do everything possible to achieve it as quickly as possible.
Andri Yamak, an aide to the Ukrainian president who led the Ukrainian delegation, described the negotiations as positive. He said that the two countries “share the same vision and we are moving in the same direction towards the very peace that all Ukrainians await.”
In Kiev, psychologist Lena Herasaimenko accepts that compromise is necessary to end the war, but she says that she must be “rational.”
“We had massive losses during this war, but we still don’t know how much,” she told The Associated Press. “We suffer every day. Our children are suffering and we don’t know how future generations will be affected.”
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Oleksandr, a Ukrainian soldier who can only give his name due to security restrictions, warned that Ukraine cannot disappoint its guards.
“If there is a ceasefire, it will only give Russia time to increase its firepower, talent, missiles and other weapons. Then they will attack Ukraine again,” he said.
Hawkish Russians oppose the ceasefire
In Moscow, Hawkish politicians and military bloggers spoke strongly about future ceasefires, claiming that they would damage and damage Moscow’s profits when the Russian army was in their advantage.
“A ceasefire is not something we need,” writes Hardline’s Ideologue Alexander Duguin.
Retired general Victor Sobolev, a member of the Russian House of Representatives, warned that the 30-day ceasefire would allow Ukraine to strengthen its arms supply and reorganize its troops before resuming hostilities.
Sergei Markov, a political commentator for the Prokremlin, suggested that Moscow could request a halt of western arms supply to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire. “The embargo on the supply of arms to Ukraine may be a condition of the armistice,” he wrote.
The Kremlin is sticking to the terms of peace
Russia has not publicly provided concessions. Putin repeatedly declared that Moscow wanted a comprehensive settlement rather than a temporary ceasefire.
Russia says it is ready to cease hostilities on the condition that Ukraine drops its bid to join NATO and recognizes the region Moscow is occupying as Russians. Russia has taken almost fifth in Ukraine’s territory.
The Russian army, despite its high cost of infantry and armor, has held battlefield momentum for over a year, especially in the eastern Donetsk region, pushes selected points along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) frontline.
Ukraine has invested heavily in the development of high-tech drones that have reached the arms industry, particularly Russia.
Associated Press author Baraanwa from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Hannah Alhirova and Dmytro Zhyhinas in Kiev, Ukraine. Aamer Madhani of Washington contributed to this report.
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