(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) The Trump administration has lifted its pause on military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine following talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
US officials said the move came after Ukraine signaled it was open to a 30-day ceasefire if Russia agreed.
“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” the US and Ukraine said in a joint statement.
“The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace. The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine,” the statement added.
The joint statement also said that “both countries’ presidents agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine’s economy and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security.”
So far, there’s been no reaction from Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously rejected the idea of a temporary ceasefire, saying in January that he wouldn’t accept “some kind of respite for regrouping forces and rearmament with the aim of subsequently continuing the conflict” and that he wanted a “long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people, all nations living in this region.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the talks that the US will bring the proposal to Moscow. “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. If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly rejected the idea of a ceasefire, and his openness to the 30-day truce marks a significant shift in his position. US officials had said the pause in US military aid and intelligence sharing would only be lifted after Ukraine made clear it was willing to work toward peace.
“The Ukrainian delegation today made something very clear, that they share President Trump’s vision for peace,” US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said after the talks. He said the two sides “got into substantive details on how this war is going to permanently end,” including the idea of long-term security guarantees.
Waltz didn’t elaborate on the potential security guarantees, which will be a major sticking point in any negotiations. Zelensky and his European backers have been pushing for the deployment of Western troops to enforce the ceasefire, a proposal that’s been repeatedly rejected by Moscow.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
