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Ukraine on Tuesday accepted a deal put forward by the Trump administration during a meeting in Saudi Arabia, a significant step forward in securing a ceasefire agreement and bringing an end to the war with Russia.
‘We’ll take this offer now to the Russians, and we hope that they’ll say yes,’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters.
Rubio, standing alongside national security advisor Mike Waltz, did not detail exactly what was in this agreement, but according to a readout provided by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, Kyiv has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire contingent on Moscow’s acceptance of the terms.
‘We hope the Russians answer to that,’ Rubio said. ‘The best goodwill gesture the Russians can provide is to say yes.’
In response to Kyiv’s willingness to accept Washington’s hard-fought preliminary proposal, President Donald Trump agreed to lift the pause on U.S. security assistance to Ukraine ‘effective immediately’ and renewed U.S. intelligence sharing.
Rubio said if and once Moscow agrees to this preliminary agreement, the real negotiations can commence.
‘This is very serious. Today people will die in this war. They died yesterday, and sadly, unless there’s a ceasefire tonight, they’ll die tomorrow,’ Rubio said. ‘The president wants that to stop.’
‘We’ve gone from if this war is going to end to how this war is going to end,’ Waltz told reporters.
Issues involving the return of children abducted by Russia and the return of prisoners of war will be addressed in the ‘second phase’ of negotiations, the pair said.
Waltz confirmed that the Trump administration and the Ukrainian delegation discussed ‘substantive details’ on security guarantees to ensure lasting peace between the two nations – though neither Kyiv nor Washington have yet confirmed the elements of those discussions.
‘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 readout of the talks said. ‘The United States committed to discussing these specific proposals with representatives from Russia.
‘The Ukrainian delegation reiterated that European partners shall be involved in the peace process,’ the readout added.
Rubio said a mineral deal will be discussed at a further date.
‘We were here in pursuit of peace,’ he told reporters. ‘That doesn’t mean the mineral deal is not very important.’