By The War Zone | Created at 2025-03-11 19:37:54 | Updated at 2025-03-12 07:12:57
11 hours ago
(Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)
The U.S. and Ukraine have reached a ceasefire agreement in principle that would pause fighting in the now-three-year-old war and pave the way for the U.S. to obtain mineral rights, according to a joint statement between the two nations that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on his official web account. In return, the U.S. “will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.” The U.S. imposed that pause last week, which you can read more about in our in-depth report here.
The peace talks took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after deteriorating relations between Washington and Kyiv. You can read more about the negotiations in our recent report here.
“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” Zelensky stated. “The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace.”
In a statement on Telegram, Zelensky said that the proposal from the American side was to “immediately take the first step…and try to establish a complete ceasefire for 30 days, not only with regard to missiles, drones and bombs, not only in the Black Sea, but also along the entire frontline.”
Both Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump “agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine’s economy, offset the cost of American assistance, and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security.”
The Ukrainian delegation also “reiterated the Ukrainian people’s strong gratitude to President Trump, the U.S. Congress, and the people of the United States for making possible meaningful progress toward peace.”
Speaking to reporters after the negotiation session wrapped, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it is now up to Russia to decide if it wants to pursue peace.
“Today, we made an offer that the Ukrainians have accepted, which is to enter into a ceasefire and into immediate negotiations to end this conflict in a way that’s enduring and sustainable and accounts for their interests, their security, their ability to prosper as a nation,” said Rubio. “We’ll take this offer now to the Russians, and we hope that they’ll say yes, that they’ll say yes to peace. The ball is now in their court.”
The agreement announcement does not specify what conditions Ukraine agreed to, though Rubio had previously said Ukraine would have to give up land in any deal.
This is a developing story and there is still a long way to go before fighting ends.
Contact the author: [email protected]
