UKRAINE has accepted a US-backed peace proposal which will welcome in a crucial 30-day ceasefire – leaving only Russia to confirm the truce.
Washington and Kyiv had important discussions on Tuesday to support Ukraine in their struggle against despot Vladimir Putin and bring an end to the three-year conflict.
The US reassured Ukraine that they would resume intelligence sharing and security assistance after Donald Trump withdrew support earlier this month.
Both nations sent representatives across to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to hash out the terms of a ceasefire proposal.
After a gruelling nine-hour negotiation, the two countries released a joint statement on the positive meeting.
Ukraine announced it had “expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire”.
They added that it can be “extended by mutual agreement of the parties” after the month is over.
Russia has not agreed to any deal yet. They have stated that they will wait until they have formal discussions with Washington before making a decision.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said his team are carefully studying the US-Ukraine talks and the statements from both sides.
Moscow and Washington representatives are now due to meet at some point this week, Peskov said.
Washington “will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace”.
It comes as US secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters after the statement was made “the ball is now in Russia’s court“.
President Trump – who hopes to meet Putin soon – added “we want to get the Ukraine war over with” as he hopes for a quick ceasefire agreement.
Intelligence sharing and military aid
The US-Ukraine statement made it clear that during the talks Washington has agreed to immediately resume crucial aid to Ukraine.
They said: “The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.”
Zelensky described it as an “important element” of discussions”.
Earlier this month, Trump made the bold call to instantly leave Ukraine devoid of key US weapons due to him believing Zelensky “didn’t want peace”.
Shortly after, the US also cut off intelligence sharing leaving Ukraine “fighting blind” on the battlefield and unable to predict and plan for attacks.
Trump’s advisers told CNN the pause was due to remain in place until the president felt Ukraine was ready to commit to peace talks.
The resumption of the security assistance, which is said to completely return to how it was before it was halted, acts as a critical step to keep up Ukraine’s defensive capability.
Temporary ceasefire
Ukraine went into Tuesday’s meeting wanting a ceasefire as they are said to have came ready with a proposal to the US of an “air and sea” truce.
This agreement was hashed out during the peace talks and finally agreed on between Washington and Kyiv.
The US said both sides should agree to an immediate 30-day ceasefire and have the option to mutually extend it.
This would allow for further talks to take place between Moscow and Kyiv to bring about a final conclusion to the conflict.
Following the announcement, Zelensky said on Telegram “we are ready to take this step” and said the US “must convince Russia to do this”.
He also said the ceasefire will see a ban on missiles, drones and bomb attacks both across the frontlines and on the Black Sea.
Russia is still yet to formally agree to any deal with officials saying it will serve as a chance for the world to see if Putin is serious about ending the war.
A Ukrainian official has already said their proposal was “partly” designed to “call Putin’s bluff” and test out his desire for peace.
They told The Telegraph: “Let’s see what happens, but I give it less than a 50 per cent chance that they [Russia] will agree.”
Zelensky added: “Russia must show whether it is ready to stop the war or continue it. The time has come for the full truth.”
Releasing prisoners
The joint statement went on to say that US and Ukrainian officials discussed key aid efforts as part of the peace process.
This involved arranging “the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children”.
It is unclear how many people Ukraine want to be returned as part of the 30-day truce or what Russia will get in return if anything.
Amnesty International believe there are thousands of Ukrainians, both military personnel and civilians currently held in captivity in Russia and occupied Ukraine.
Allowing European help
Europe has long been asking to have a seat at the table of peace talks with Ukraine appearing to now have secured this.
UK PM Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have both been leading the way in defending Ukraine in the past few weeks.
The wartorn nation said last night that “our partners must be part of the process” going forwards.
It is unclear if this will be in the form of peacekeeping troops patrolling the border or continental leaders being directly sat at the negotiating table.
Russia are also said to be wary of allowing Europe to have a say due to their close ties with Nato and the European Union.
Signing the mineral deal
A heated point of contention in recent months has been the Ukraine-US minerals deal which is still unsigned.
Washington has asked Ukraine to give them their mineral deposits in return for America “promoting the safety, security and prosperity of Ukraine”.
Zelensky has been pushing for a deal to include a firm security guarantee from the US but it is yet to be made.
Trump and Zelensky were set to sign the rare earth minerals deal in the White House when the pair recently met.
The Ukrainian’s visit was abruptly cut short with nothing being finalised after Trump and JD Vance launched a verbal assault on the president.
On Tuesday, Ukraine said they have once again spoke about signing the deal with Washington.
They said it will be a positive signal for the long-term partnership between Ukraine and the US and will ensure security and economic development.
The US should they hope it will “conclude as soon as possible”.
