Washington, Mar 12 (V7N) – Ukraine has agreed to a temporary ceasefire with Russia, negotiators announced on Tuesday from Saudi Arabia. However, Russia still needs to agree to the ceasefire for it to take effect.

According to a joint statement, Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended with mutual agreement from both parties. The ceasefire would be subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by Russia. "The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is key to achieving peace," the statement said.

This announcement follows a tense period between Ukraine and the U.S. after a dramatic meeting on February 28 between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which caused tensions and led to a temporary cutoff of U.S. weapons and intelligence support to Ukraine. Despite this, both Washington and Kyiv are hopeful that relations can be repaired and progress made toward a truce with Russia.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the offer, stating, “Yes, that’s the offer. The offer is to stop the shooting. The goal here is: The only way to end this war is to negotiate out of it. There is no military solution to this war.”

In the wake of the talks, the U.S. and Ukraine confirmed the proposed ceasefire, which would freeze the conflict along the current battlelines.

Additionally, Trump is scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday at the White House.

Following this positive development, U.S. officials confirmed that President Trump decided to lift the pause on aid and security assistance to Ukraine, effective immediately.

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