The Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine, and Kyiv signaled that it was open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, pending Moscow’s agreement, American and Ukrainian officials said Tuesday following talks in Saudi Arabia.
The administration imposed the measures a week ago to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter talks to end the war with invading Russian forces.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would present the ceasefire offer to the Kremlin.
"We’re going to tell them this is what’s on the table. Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no," Rubio said. "If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here."
National security adviser Mike Waltz added: "The Ukrainian delegation today made something very clear, that they share President Trump’s vision for peace."
Waltz said negotiators "got into substantive details on how this war is going to permanently end," including long-term security guarantees.
The announcements emerged as senior officials from Ukraine and the United States opened talks in Saudi Arabia focused on ending Moscow’s three-year war against Kyiv. The discussions started only hours after Russia shot down over 300 Ukrainian drones. It was Ukraine’s biggest attack since the Kremlin ordered the full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
President Donald Trump 's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel later this week to Moscow, where he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly. The person cautioned that scheduling could change.
Earlier in the day, journalists were briefly allowed in a room where a senior Ukrainian delegation met with Rubio, who smiled at the cameras and when asked about his expectations for the meeting, gave a thumbs-up and replied, "Good."
Across the table, Ukrainian officials, including the country’s top diplomat and defense chief, showed no facial expressions as the meeting got underway at a luxury hotel. However, Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak told reporters that the most important thing was "how to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine." He said security guarantees were important to prevent Russia from invading again in the future.
It was the first meeting between the two sides since the Oval Office blowup between Trump and Zelenskyy last month.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Minister of State and Cabinet Member Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban were also present as American, Saudi and Ukrainian flags could be seen in the background. Officials did not answer any of the journalists' shouted questions.
The delegations met for about three hours in the morning before taking a break, and officials said the talks continued in the afternoon.
There was also no immediate comment from Ukrainian or US officials on the massive attack in which 343 drones targeted 10 Russian regions, leaving three people dead and 18 wounded, including three children, officials said.
Meanwhile, Russia launched 126 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said, as part of Moscow’s relentless pounding of civilian areas during the war.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the United States will inform Russia about the results of the Jeddah talks, which he described as "normal practice."
The meeting in Jeddah offered an opportunity for Kyiv officials to repair Ukraine’s relationship with the Trump administration after an unprecedented argument erupted during Zelenskyy’s Feb. 28 visit to the White House.
The Kremlin has not publicly offered any concessions. Russia has said it’s ready to cease hostilities on condition that Ukraine drops its bid to join NATO and recognizes regions that Moscow occupies as Russian. Russia has captured nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory.
Russian forces have held the battlefield momentum for more than a year, though at a high cost in infantry and armor, and are pushing at selected points along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, especially in the eastern Donetsk region, against Ukraine's understrength and weary army.
Ukraine has invested heavily in developing its arms industry, especially high-tech drones that have reached deep into Russia.
