Ukraine: Will Russia say ‘yes’ to ceasefire?

KIEV - Ukraine has said it is ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire with Russia proposed by the US, after a day of talks between the two countries in Saudi Arabia, according to the BBC.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would present the offer to Russia and that "the ball is in their court".
Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky said it was now up to the US to convince Russia to agree to the "positive" proposal.

Tuesday's talks in Jeddah were the first official meeting between the two countries since the extraordinary clash between Zelensky and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

In a joint statement, the US also said it would immediately restart intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine, which Washington had suspended after the unprecedented meeting.

"Both delegations agreed to name their negotiating teams and immediately begin negotiations toward an enduring peace that provides for Ukraine's long-term security," the US-Ukraine statement said.

Rubio told a press conference in Jeddah late on Tuesday that he hoped Russia would accept the proposal.

Ukraine was "ready to stop shooting and start talking," he said, and if Russia rejected the offer "then we'll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here". "Today we made an offer that the Ukrainians have accepted, which is to enter into a ceasefire and into immediate negotiations," he said.

"We'll take this offer now to the Russians and we hope they'll say yes to peace. The ball is now in their court," he added.

The offer of a 30-day ceasefire goes beyond Zelensky's proposal for a partial truce in the sea and sky.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.