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Ukraine backs a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia. The US will lift restrictions on military aid and intelligence sharing. Talks in Saudi Arabia also target a minerals deal.
President Donald Trump had shut off aid after a disastrous meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28. (Photo: AFP)
In a significant development, Ukraine on Tuesday backed a US proposal for a 30-day general ceasefire with Russia, with the United States in turn agreeing to lift restrictions on military aid and intelligence sharing, a joint statement said.
These discussions were the first meeting between US and Ukrainian officials since a White House blowup between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump that led to Washington halting military aid to Kyiv.
After talks in Saudi Arabia, the two sides also agreed to conclude “as soon as possible” a deal on Ukrainian minerals, the statement said. The Ukrainian delegation reiterated the Ukrainian people’s strong gratitude to President Trump, the US Congress, and the people of the United States for making possible meaningful progress toward peace, it said.
“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” read a joint statement said after the talks.
The delegations also discussed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process, particularly during the abovementioned ceasefire, including the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children, according to the statement.
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US Resumes Security Assistance To Ukraine
“The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace,” it added. “The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.”
President Trump had shut off aid after a disastrous meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyy on February 28. Zelenskyy also walked out of a minerals deal with Trump following his White House clash.
However, Zelenskyy has since called the spat “regrettable” and said he was willing to work with the US, including signing on the minerals deal. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump received a letter from Zelenskyy, calling it “a very positive first step” and “an apology”.
Before his departure for Jeddah, Zelenskyy said Ukraine wanted peace, insisting Russia was the sole reason that the war was carrying on. Witkoff said Washington wanted to use the talks “to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well”.
Both sides also discussed Ukraine’s long-term security in Saudi Arabia, including Europe’s participation in the peace process. They also agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources.
Ukraine Unleashes Drone Barrage Ahead Of Saudi Talks
Ahead of the talks, Ukraine fired more than 300 drones at Moscow, believed to be the largest attack on the Russian capital in the three-year conflict. Kyiv said the attack should push Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept its call for a halt to long-range aerial strikes.
The attack killed at least two people and wounded several more, Russian officials said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced Kyiv targeting “residential houses”, claiming its forces only hit military infrastructure, despite near daily attacks on Ukraine’s civilian areas and thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed by its offensive.
Moscow’s army said it intercepted 337 Ukrainian drones across the country in what Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the “most massive enemy drone attack on Moscow.”
(with inputs from agencies)
