With US leadership and European support we Ukrainians may at last have peace. But don’t let Russia off the hook | Andriy Yermak
Guardian1 day ago
US Resumes Aid to Ukraine as Kyiv Agrees to 30-Day Cease-fire
Above: An American delegation led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a meeting with Ukrainian senior officials hosted by Saudi officials in Jeddah on March 11, 2025. Image copyright: Salah Malkawi/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Ukraine and the US announced in a joint statement on Tuesday that Kyiv is ready to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate 30-day cease-fire with Russia, contingent upon reciprocity from Moscow.
This comes after an hours-long meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Ukraine's Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak as well as Ukraine's defense and foreign ministers.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Interfax that Moscow is waiting for official information from Washington on the progress of the talks in Saudi Arabia, with the American delegation expected to head to Russia soon for a meeting with Vladimir Putin. So far, Russia has expressed opposition to a provisional truce.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
This cease-fire proposal represents a masterful negotiating strategy by the Trump administration — forcing both sides toward peace by leveraging American military aid. This diplomatic breakthrough could lead to Trump's legacy-defining achievement and demonstrates the effectiveness of pressure tactics in achieving peace deals.
Anti-Russia narrative
A US-brokered cease-fire is just the first step to finally halt the ever-escalating Russia's decade-long aggression against Ukraine and reach a fair and enduring peace in the region. Europe must be prepared to keep further financial and political pressure on Moscow and to develop a credible deterrence against the Kremlin.
Pro-Russia narrative
America really wants a cease-fire, so Ukraine's proxy of the West, Pres. Zelenskyy, must act as if he's willing to negotiate while attacking Russia. If he can shift responsibility for the breakdown of negotiations to Moscow, the better for him. A temporary truce isn't in the best interest of Russia, and he knows that.