Ukraine says it is ready to accept the US-suggested 30-day ceasefire with Russia one day after the US Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented his offer to Russia, saying “The ball is in their court.”
Ukrainian President Volodmar Zelensky said it is now up to the US to persuade Russia to agree to the “positive” proposal.
The talks in Jeddah on Tuesday 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 Washington will immediately resume intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine, which had been suspended after an unprecedented meeting.
“Both delegations have agreed to name their negotiation teams and immediately begin negotiations towards a lasting peace that will provide long-term security for Ukraine,” a statement from the U.S. Ukraine said.
Rubio said at a press conference in Jeddah late Tuesday that he hoped Russia would accept the proposal.
Ukraine was “prepared to stop shooting and start talking,” he said, and if Russia refused the offer, “I’m sorry to know what the obstacles to peace here are.”
“Today we made an offer accepted by the Ukrainians: to enter a ceasefire and enter into immediate negotiations,” he said.
“We now accept this offer to the Russians. We hope they say yes in peace. The ball is now in their court,” he added.
The offer for a 30-day ceasefire exceeds Zelensky’s proposal for a partial ceasefire in the sea and air.
The Ukrainian president thanked Trump for the “constructiveness” of consultations in Jeddah.
In a video message, Zelensky said that Russia must “show its willingness to stop the war or continue the war.”
“It’s a time of perfect truth,” he added.
Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
At the White House, Trump said reporters Putin would “hopefully” agree to the proposal.
He added that he is open to inviting Zelensky to Washington.
When asked by a reporter whether Trump and Zelensky’s relationship was “on track,” Rubio said he hopes that “peace” is on track.
“This doesn’t mean girls. It’s not an episode of a TV show,” he said.
“Today, people will die in this war, they will die yesterday, and sadly – unless there is a ceasefire, they will die tomorrow.”
The US and Ukrainian teams met after an overnight drone attack killed at least three people in Moscow. Russia said it showed Ukraine used diplomacy to end the war and rejected it.
Trump and Zelensky also agreed to finalize key mineral trade “as soon as possible,” the joint statement said.
Ukraine offered to grant the US access to US rare earth mineral reserves in exchange for US security guarantees, but this was derailed by a White House line.
Rubio said the deal was not covered by Tuesday’s consultations and was negotiated with Ukraine and the US Treasury Department.
The US delegation in Jeddah also included US national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkoff.
Witkov plans to travel to Russia in the coming days, a source familiar with the plan told the BBC, which could change rapidly.
Achieving a swift end to the war in Ukraine was an important pledge for the US president.
He put more and more pressure on Zelensky to accept a ceasefire, without providing immediate security guarantees claimed by the Ukrainian president.
On Friday, Trump issued a rare threat of further sanctions against Moscow in promoting the deal. Russia has already been strongly approved by the US over war.
Trump said he is considering the move because “Russia is absolutely “pounding” Ukraine on the battlefield right now.”
Meanwhile, the war continued to the ground on Tuesday.
In the Moscow region, three men were killed in what was called the biggest drone attack on the Russian capital since the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine.
Health officials told Russian media that 18 more people were injured, including 3 children.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said 337 drones were intercepted in Russia, 91 of which were shot down in the Moscow region.
Ukrainian officials have reported Russian drone attacks on the capital Kiev and several other regions.
The Ukrainian air force said it had fired down 79 of the 126 drones launched by Russia and Iskander M ballistic missiles.
It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties or not.
