Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia as President Donald Trump lifts a pause on military aid and intelligence sharing to the country.
The agreement, under intense pressure from the U.S. side, now puts the ball in Moscow’s court, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the conclusion of a day of talks.
‘Today, we’ve 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,’ said Rubio.
The Trump administration now plans to present the temporary ceasefire offer to Moscow, which has raised a series of demands including the removal of President Volodymyr Zelensky, recognizing seized territory as now independent states, and a prohibition on Ukraine joining the NATO alliance for ending the war.
‘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.
The breakthrough will now put the onus on the Kremlin, just days after an angry Oval Office meeting exposed a rupture between President Trump and Ukraine.
Now, following high-stakes meetings in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the president is also lifting a military aid and intelligence sharing pause to Ukraine almost two weeks after his disastrous Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky.
‘As a result of that, and I think as a result of this positive step forward, the president has decidedd to lift the pause on our security assistance to Ukraine going forward, and that’s effective immediately,’ he said.
Trump himself made only terse comments about Ukraine agreeing to a ceasefire.
‘Ukraine. Ceasefire. Just agreed to a little while ago,’ he said while viewing five Tesla vehicles at the White House with billionaire company head Elon Musk.
‘Ukraine has agreed to it, and hopefully Russia will agree to it,’ Trump said. He even indicated Zelensky was welcome back to the White House when asked.
‘Sure, absolutely,’ Trump said, days after exploding at Zelensky in a televised confrontation.
Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff made the announcement after meeting with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump has now lifted the military aid and intelligence sharing pause to Ukraine
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz announced the breakthrough after their meeting with Ukrainian officials
‘The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine,’ a document released by Trump’s top diplomats stated.
It went on to say Trump and Zelensky agreed to ‘conclude as soon as possible’ an agreement on the minerals deal.
‘The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace,’ according to the statement.
Witkoff is now planning a trip to Moscow, where he is set to face President Vladimir Putin’s demands and could meet Putin – a turnaround from the diplomatic isolation Putin faced just weeks ago.
Moscow has previously rejected a temporary ceasefire of air and sea attacks after Zelensky floated the idea.
‘Firm agreements on a final settlement are needed. Without all that, some kind of respite is absolutely unacceptable,’ Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. The latest proposal is a total, although temporary, ceasefire.
The deal will ‘expand Ukraine’s economy, offset the cost of American assistance, and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security,’ according to the statement on the breakthrough.
‘What’s back on track here is, hopefully, is peace. That’s what matters the most,’ said Rubio. ‘This is not Mean Girls, this is not some episode of some television show, this is serious. Today, people will die in this war, they died yesterday and sadly they’ll die tomorrow.’
‘The president wants this to stop. That’s why we came here,’ said Rubio, who added that the Ukrainians are ‘ready to stop fighting.’
His comment appeared to reflect a move away from the highly personal drama inside the White House, where Trump accused Zelensky of not wanting peace, and even expressed solidarity with Putin over the Russia probe of his first term.
‘President Trump is the president of peace,’ Waltz added.
The announcement came after U.S. negotiators sat down with a Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia for high-pressure talks on ending the three year old war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s 2022 invasion.
The announcement came after high stakes talks in Jeddah
A handout photo made available by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service shows the Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak (L) and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (R) arriving for a meeting with US officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 11 March 2025
Rubio and Waltz sat down at a long wooden table with Andriy Yermak, who serves as chief of staff to President Zelensky, and and Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerovto as talks began in the port city of Jeddah.
‘We are ready to do everything to achieve peace,’ said Yermak – who featured in Trump’s infamous July 2019 phone call with Zelensky seeking an investigation of the Bidens.
Russia this week is continuing to pound civilian areas in Ukraine, launching 126 drones and a ballistic missile, according Ukraine’s Air Force. Ukraine launched a massive attack inside Russia, targeting Moscow as other regions on the eve of talks in its largest bombardment of the war.
Representing the Saudis are Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the foreign minister, and national security advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban.
