Ukraine has agreed to an emergency 30-day ceasefire in its conflict with Russia during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia, both countries said in a joint statement, Reuters reports.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he would now convey this offer to the Russians and that the ball is now in Moscow's court.
The United States (US) will also continue sharing intelligence with Kiev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was also in Saudi Arabia but did not take part in the talks, said the ceasefire was a "positive initiative" that encompasses the front lines of the conflict, not just the air and sea battles.
After more than eight hours of negotiations, the two sides issued a joint statement stating that Ukraine was ready to accept the US proposal for an immediate, temporary 30-day ceasefire, which could be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, provided that Russia accepts and implements it.
"The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace," the statement said.
"The United States will immediately lift the pause in intelligence sharing and resume providing security assistance to Ukraine," the statement added.
The two sides also said Washington and Kiev had reached an agreement to quickly finalize a comprehensive agreement on the development of Ukraine's key mineral resources, a deal that had been in the works for weeks but was thrown into doubt after a tense meeting at the White House last week between US President Donald Trump and Zelensky.
Zelensky said the two countries would work to finalize an agreement on minerals. A senior adviser to Zelensky said they had discussed with US officials the possibility of security guarantees for Ukraine, but did not provide details on those options.
The talks in Saudi Arabia came 11 days after a contentious White House meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump that inflamed relations between the two countries after Trump refused to include any security guarantees in a potential deal to jointly develop Ukraine's rare earth minerals and other resources, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reports.
After that, official Washington stopped military aid to Ukraine and limited the exchange of intelligence on the battlefield.
Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who is leading the Ukrainian delegation, had earlier called the talks "a work in progress" during a break that followed more than four hours of talks.
US National Security Adviser Mike Volz said earlier "we're getting there" when a reporter asked him how the negotiations were going as he left a meeting room, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha said the talks were being held in a "constructive atmosphere".
Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne quoted an unnamed official as saying that the talks before the break focused on a potential agreement on minerals and Ukraine's proposal for a ceasefire at sea and in the sky. The talks resumed after the break.
"A ceasefire in the three-year war waged by the Russian Federation against my country has never looked closer," Yermak wrote in an article published in the Guardian newspaper on the day of the meeting.
"A ceasefire in Ukraine will not come just through diplomatic gestures," he added. "It involves political and financial pressure on Russia, to increase the cost of renewed conflict."
Kiev was represented at the negotiations by Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not participating.
Zelensky said the 30-day ceasefire would take effect immediately if Russia accepted it, Reuters reported.
"Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal - we see it as a positive step and we are ready to take it. Now it is up to the US to convince Russia to do the same," he said on the X social network.
Trump said today that he hopes Russia will agree to a ceasefire plan. In a statement to reporters, he said he would invite Ukrainian President Zelensky to return to the White House.
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Košta and Von der Leyen welcome news from Saudi Arabia: The ball is now in Russia's court
European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in statements on the X social network that they welcomed the news from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, about negotiations between the United States and Ukraine, including a proposed ceasefire agreement, Reuters reports.
"This is a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The ball is now in Russia's court," they said.
They added that the European Union (EU) is ready to play a full role, together with its partners, in the upcoming peace negotiations.
Macron calls on chiefs of staff to plan security guarantees for Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron today called on the chiefs of general staff of the armies of about 30 countries, at a meeting in Paris, to begin developing "a plan to define credible security guarantees for Ukraine" in the event of a peace agreement with Russia, the Elysee Palace announced, Beta news agency reports.
"In the face of accelerated peace negotiations, Macron believes that it is now necessary to 'move from concept to plan' to define credible security guarantees, so that a solid and lasting peace can be possible in Ukraine," the French presidency said in a statement.
It is added that the meeting participants agreed that security guarantees should not be separated from NATO and its capacities, at a time when Washington and Moscow are getting closer.
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