US to resume its military aid to Ukraine after Kyiv backs proposed ceasefire

The United States has agreed to restore military aid and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine after Kyiv signalled support for Washington's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, both countries confirmed in a joint statement.

The decision followed more than eight hours of talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would now take the proposal to Moscow.

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"Our hope is that the Russians will answer 'yes' as quickly as possible, so we can get to the second phase of this, which is real negotiations," Mr Rubio told reporters.

The proposed ceasefire should cover the entire frontline as well as missile, drone, and bombing attacks, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Our, Ukraine's proposal for this meeting with the Americans consisted of three points: silence in the skies – meaning no missiles, bombs, or long-range drones – and silence at sea; and real measures to establish confidence in this whole situation, in which diplomacy is ongoing, which means, primarily, the release of prisoners," Mr Zelensky said.

Ukraine has accepted the US proposal and is ready to implement the ceasefire, but it remains unclear whether Russia will agree.

"Ukraine is ready for peace. Russia must also show whether it is ready to end the war – or continue it," Mr Zelensky said.

Russia is occupying around a fifth of the country, including the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.

Mr Rubio said Washington wanted a comprehensive agreement between both sides "as soon as possible".

"Every day that goes by, this war continues, people die, people are bombed, people are hurt on both sides of this conflict," he said.

An important element of the discussions was the US decision to restore military support to Ukraine, which had been suspended in recent weeks.

Mr Zelensky confirmed that "America's readiness to restore defence assistance to Ukraine and intelligence support" was part of the agreement reached in Jeddah.

"The United States of America needs to convince Russia to do so," he said, referring to the ceasefire proposal.