US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “the ball is (Moscow’s) court” as talks in Saudi Arabia between Ukraine and the US concluded with an immediate 30-day ceasefire proposal.
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House he would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who would “hopefully” agree to a 30-day ceasefire proposed after US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.
“We have a big meeting with Russia tomorrow, and some great conversations hopefully will ensue,” Trump said.
Trump added that he hoped the deal would be agreed upon in the next few days.
Tuesday’s talks in Saudi Arabia between Ukraine and the US culminated in a joint statement in which Kyiv said it is ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire with Russia, as proposed by Washington.
The US also said it would immediately restart intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine, which Washington had suspended following an unprecedented spat between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House.
Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on X that the US ceasefire proposal includes a full 30-day interim ceasefire: stopping missile, drone, and bomb attacks, including in the Black Sea and along the entire frontline.
“Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal – we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Russia had to “show its willingness to stop the war or continue the war.”
“It’s time for the full truth,” he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after talks concluded that he would present the offer to Russia. “If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here,” Rubio said, adding the ball was in Russia’s court.
Senator Lindsey Graham threatened to slap sanctions on Russia if the Kremlin refused to comply with the ceasefire proposal.
“It is long overdue that Russia feels overwhelming economic pain as a result of its brutal invasion of Ukraine,” Graham said.
The Kremlin has not yet publicly responded to the proposal, although declared on Tuesday it would issue a statement on the agreement after being briefed by the US.
Moscow’s foreign ministry said Russia had not ruled out talks with US representatives in the next few days.
The spokeswoman for the ministry added that Moscow’s position would be decided at home, not shaped “abroad due to some agreements or efforts of some parties.”
Senior Russian lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev expressed scepticism, writing on Telegram that the conditions of the ceasefire were “American, not Ukrainian.”
The Ukrainians are agreeing to “what they’re told” Kosachev said, adding that any agreement made with Russia must be on Russian terms.
Putin has repeatedly declared that Moscow wants a comprehensive settlement rather than a temporary truce.
The Russian leader has stuck to his conditions that it would cease hostilities on the condition that Ukraine drops its bid to join NATO and recognises regions Moscow has occupied as Russian.
Hostilities continued overnight as five were killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine, including one person in Kryvyi Rih — Zelenskyy’s hometown.
Four people, believed to be Syrian nationals, were also killed in the port city of Odesa as Russia attacked a cargo ship bound for Algeria, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.
Several buildings, including homes, were also damaged in Kharkiv and the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Additional sources • AP
