Photo: Ukrainian and US delegations at talks in Jeddah (Getty Images) Author: Anna Berezina, Roman Kot
Hours-long negotiations between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia have ended. The parties managed to agree on a number of issues, including a temporary ceasefire and the resumption of military assistance.
More details on the results of the negotiations in Saudi Arabia can be found on RBC-Ukraine.
Content:
- What was agreed at the meeting in Jeddah
- Statements of the parties
- What to expect after the negotiations
What was agreed at the meeting in Jeddah
The negotiations between the Ukrainian and American delegations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, lasted for about 8 hours. At the end of the meeting, the Office of the President of Ukraine published a joint statement of the participants. In it, both sides confirmed that the time had come to begin the process of establishing a lasting peace.
“The United States and Ukraine have taken important steps toward restoring lasting peace in Ukraine,” the statement said.
The delegations agreed on the following issues:
- Ceasefire for 30 days
The communique following the meeting stated that Ukraine accepted the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with the possibility of extending it.
At the same time, the implementation of the agreement will depend on Russia's mutual fulfillment of its obligations. The United States must convey to Russia that reciprocity on its part is the key to achieving peace.
- Restoring military support
The United States will resume military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing that was “paused” after a tense February 28 Washington meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and White House leader Donald Trump.
“The United States is immediately lifting the pause in intelligence sharing and resuming security assistance to Ukraine,” the statement from the parties reads.
- Humanitarian initiatives
Representatives of the United States and Ukraine also discussed a number of humanitarian initiatives during their meeting in Jeddah today: the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilians from captivity, and the return of forcibly displaced Ukrainian children.
The resolution of these issues is part of the peace process, particularly during the ceasefire.
- Achieving Sustainable Peace
The teams from both countries will form negotiating teams and should immediately begin consultations to ensure Ukraine's long-term security. The United States has committed to conveying this proposal to Russia, and Ukraine has noted the importance of involving European partners in the peace process.
- Minerals Agreement
The statement ends with a discussion of the future of the minerals agreement that was planned to be concluded on February 28.
It was noted that the Presidents of Ukraine and the United States agreed to conclude a comprehensive agreement on the development of Ukraine's critical mineral resources as soon as possible in order to strengthen Ukraine's economy and ensure Ukraine's long-term prosperity and security.
Statements of the parties
The delegation members made a number of statements regarding the results of today's meeting.
- Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: “Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire, now Russia must show its readiness”
During his evening address, Volodymyr Zelensky said that the US had proposed a 30-day ceasefire that would cover not only missile and drone attacks, but also combat along the entire front line. Ukraine agreed, but now the key task for the US will be to convince Russia to support this decision.
The President stressed that if the 30-day ceasefire is observed, Kyiv, together with its partners, will be able to prepare working documents that guarantee long-term peace and security.
“Ukraine is ready for peace. Russia must also show its readiness to end the war or continue the war. The time has come for the full truth,” Zelensky concluded.
Head of the OP Andriy Yermak. Ceasefire talks to start next week
As the head of the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, the head of the OP Andriy Yermak, said, the delegations agreed that next week the teams of the countries will begin to talk about all the details of the ceasefire at the technical expert level.
“We spoke today as partners and as friends, we spoke about what is fair, about the situation on the battlefield. It was a partnership conversation between two countries, with a country that really wants to do everything possible to help us bring a fair peace. Our opinion, our position is important to them,” Yermak said.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha: ” Negotiations between Ukraine and the US were a step forward”
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted that in a joint statement following the meeting, Ukraine and the United States took a step forward, proving that Ukraine is ready to move towards a just end to the war.
Sibiga explained that the agreement on a temporary ceasefire will only come into effect if the Russian Federation agrees to it.
“Why is this temporary ceasefire important? Because this is in no way about a frozen conflict. It is only about trying to start the path to ending the war in a fair way. It is also a step that demonstrates who is really interested in peace,” the minister noted.
Andriy Sybiga also noted that the final statement mentions the agreement between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States to sign an agreement on mineral resources with subsequent guarantees from the United States regarding the long-term prosperity and security of Ukraine. “This is what the Ukrainian side was striving for,” the head of the MFA emphasized.
- USA
US President Donald Trump Invites Zelensky to the White House Again
Reacting to the conclusion of the talks in Jeddah, White House Chief of Staff Donald Trump said he would invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to return to the White House after his last visit on February 28.
“Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire recently. Now we need to turn to Russia, and I hope President Putin agrees to that too, and we'll start… I think there's a big difference between the last visit (of Zelensky, – ed.) to the Oval Office, this is a complete ceasefire that Ukraine agreed to, and hopefully,” Trump expressed hope.
The American president noted that “the United States is going to meet with Russia either today or tomorrow.”
“If Russia agrees (to a ceasefire, – ed.), that will be great, if not, it will continue, and many people will continue to die,” he added.
Trump said he plans to speak with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, possibly as early as this week.
“I will talk to Putin, yes… It takes two to tango. I hope he will also agree (to a ceasefire, – ed.), and that will be 75% of the way. The rest is coordinating the document, discussing positions on the ground, etc.”, – said the head of the White House.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “The ball is now in Russia's court”
US State Department Secretary Marco Rubio, who took part in the talks, said Ukraine and the US had taken a “positive step” during today's talks and expressed hope that Russia would reciprocate.
“The very first gesture of goodwill that we could see from Russia is to take the Ukrainian proposal (for a ceasefire – ed.) and say 'yes' to it,” Rubio said.
US National Security Advisor Mike Volz: ” We have moved from discussing 'should the war end' to discussing 'how the war should end'”
At a briefing after the talks, Volz said Ukraine shared Trump's views on peace and had made “very specific proposals” for ending the war.
“Not only our proposal for a complete ceasefire, the details of which are in our joint statement, we also discussed further details of how this war should end, what kinds of guarantees they should have for their long-term security and prosperity,” he said.
Volz also responded to a question at the briefing about how the Ukrainian proposal for a ceasefire at sea and in the air turned into the American proposal for a full ceasefire: “President Trump has made it clear to everyone: all hostilities must cease.”
In addition, Mike Volz announced his meeting with the Russian representative . It is also known that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks with the G7 foreign ministers in the next couple of days, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will visit the White House on Thursday.
What to expect after the negotiations
Executive Director of the Center for Applied Political Research “Penta” Alexander Leonov explained in a commentary to RBC-Ukraine what should be expected next after the negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
“This is only the beginning and it is important that they noted that Ukraine is defending itself, that Ukraine is fighting. Because given certain statements by some of the Republicans representing MAGA, it seemed that in the United States this is already being questioned,” Leonov said.
According to him, it is important that the parties noted the possibility of a ceasefire for 30 days and then continuing it. As follows from the statement, without preconditions. After all, Russia had previously put forward a demand to begin a truce only if its demands were met. Therefore, in the future, the US should receive a response from the Russian Federation.
“It is not for nothing that rumors have appeared that Steve Witkoff may fly to Moscow on March 13. Most likely, he will both report and talk about further steps,” Leonov noted.
At the same time , a meeting between Trump and Putin is only possible if more extensive agreements are reached.
“I am convinced that Trump's meeting with Putin should take place one-on-one, when it is already clear what this agreement that needs to be signed will be like, when it is clear that Russia is ready for a certain format of ceasefire. Because for Trump, the meeting is important as a winner – to show that he has achieved something. If it is just a meeting for the sake of just meeting, obviously, he will not be understood in the United States,” the expert noted.
It is important that Ukraine demonstrated its intention to be constructive, refuting Trump’s accusations against Zelensky that he allegedly “does not want peace.”
“Obviously, Donald Trump needs something fast. And a ceasefire is exactly the kind of fast thing that can happen. And if Russia refuses, then Russia will be held accountable for its unwillingness and unpreparedness to start the peace process,” Leonov said.
In turn, the normalization of relations with Ukraine will depend on the response from Russia and on the reaction of the US President personally.
“The most important sign is that there should be a restoration of full exchange of intelligence, restoration of aid and further steps towards signing an agreement on mineral resources. It is not yet clear to what extent, that is, everything is said in general phrases. Obviously, this will be decided by Russia's reaction and Donald Trump's reaction. Because now everything looks postponed for the future. In addition, there should be a ceasefire for 30 days,” Leonov said.
The following were used in preparation: the text of the statement following the meeting on the OP website, statements by the participants in the negotiations at the briefing, a message from Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga on Facebook, an evening address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, statements by Donald Trump, a SkyNews publication, and a comment for RBC-Ukraine by the executive director of the Penta Center, Alexander Leonov.
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