30 days of silence: What US and Ukraine agreed on in Saudi Arabia and what's next

Contents

• What was agreed at the Jeddah meeting
• Statements from the parties
• What to expect after the negotiations

What was agreed at the Jeddah meeting

Talks between the Ukrainian and US delegations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, lasted nearly eight hours. After the meeting, the Office of the President of Ukraine published a joint statement from the participants. In it, both sides affirmed that the time has come to begin the process of establishing lasting peace.

"The United States and Ukraine took important steps toward restoring durable peace for Ukraine," the statement reads.

Delegations agreed on the following issues:

- 30-day ceasefire

The communiqué following the meeting states that Ukraine accepted the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, with the possibility of extension.

However, the implementation of this agreement will depend on Russia’s reciprocal fulfillment of obligations. The US is expected to convey to Russia that mutual compliance is key to achieving peace.

- Resumption of security assistance

The US will restore military aid to Ukraine and resume intelligence sharing, which had been put on "pause" after a tense discussion in Washington on February 28 between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and White House leader Donald Trump.

"The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine," the statement emphasized.

- Humanitarian initiatives

During the meeting in Jeddah, US and Ukrainian representatives also discussed several humanitarian initiatives, including the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilians, and the return of forcibly displaced Ukrainian children.

Addressing these issues is part of the peace process, particularly during the ceasefire period.

- Achieving sustainable peace

The teams from both countries will form negotiation groups and are expected to immediately begin consultations to ensure Ukraine's long-term security. The US has committed to conveying these proposals to Russia, while Ukraine emphasized the importance of involving European partners in the peace process.

- Mineral agreement

At the end of the statement, it mentions a future agreement on mineral resources, which was initially planned for February 28. It states that the Presidents of Ukraine and the US agreed to conclude a comprehensive agreement as soon as possible for the development of Ukraine's critical mineral resources, aimed at strengthening Ukraine's economy and ensuring its long-term prosperity and security.

Statements from the parties

The participants of the delegations made several statements regarding the results of today's meeting.

Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "Ukraine has agreed to the ceasefire; now Russia must demonstrate its readiness."

In his evening address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained that the US had proposed a 30-day ceasefire, covering not only missile and drone attacks but also combat actions across the entire front line. Ukraine agreed, but now the key task for the US will be convincing Russia to support this decision.

The president emphasized that if the 30-day silence is maintained, Kyiv, along with its partners, will be able to prepare working documents to guarantee lasting peace and security.

"Ukraine is ready for peace. Russia must also show its readiness to either end the war or to continue it. The time for complete truth has come," Zelenskyy concluded.

Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak.Ceasefire negotiations will begin next week.

As the head of the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, explained, the delegations agreed that next week, the teams of the countries would start discussing all the details of the ceasefire at a technical expert level.

"We spoke today as partners and as friends, talking about what is fair, about the situation on the battlefield. It was a partner conversation between two countries, with a country that truly wants to do everything possible to help us bring a just peace. For them, our opinion and position are important," Yermak said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sibiga: "Ukraine and the US talks were a step ahead."

The head of Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that in the joint statement following the meeting, Ukraine and the US took a step ahead, proving that Ukraine is ready to move toward a just end to the war.

Sibiga explained that the agreement on a temporary ceasefire will only take effect if Russia agrees to it.

"Why is this temporary ceasefire important? Because it is by no means about a frozen conflict. It is solely an attempt to begin the path toward ending the war in a just manner. It is also a step that shows who is truly interested in peace," the minister pointed out.

Andrii Sibiga also noted that the final statement mentions the agreement between the Presidents of Ukraine and the US on signing a treaty regarding mineral resources with further US guarantees for Ukraine's long-term prosperity and security. "This is what the Ukrainian side has been striving for," emphasized the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

US

US President Donald Trump. Once again invites Zelenskyy to the White House

Reacting to the conclusion of negotiations in Jeddah, the head of the White House, Donald Trump, stated that he would invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to return to the White House following his previous visit on February 28.

Donald Trump states that Ukraine recently agreed to a ceasefire and that the next step is to reach out to Russia, hoping that President Putin will agree to it as well, so they can begin.

"I think it’s a big difference between the last visit you saw in the Oval Office, and that’s a total ceasefire. Ukraine has agreed to it, and hopefully, Russia will agree to it," he expressed hope.

The US president noted that "we’re going to meet with them (the Russians - ed.) later on today and tomorrow."

"If we can get Russia to do it, that’ll be great. If we can’t we just keep going on and people are gonna get killed, lots of people," he added.

According to Trump, he plans to speak with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, likely this week.

"I'll talk to Vladimir Putin. It takes two to tango. Hopefully, he will agree (to the ceasefire, - ed.), I really think that would be 75% of the eay. The rest - is getting the documents, negotiating, planned positions, etc.," said the head of the White House.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "The ball is now in Russia's court"

The head of the US Department of State, Marco Rubio, who participated in the negotiations, stated that Ukraine and the US made a "positive step" during today's talks and expressed hope that Russia would respond in kind.

"The best goodwill gesture the Russians can provide is to say yes, to say yes to the offer that the Ukrainians have made to stop the shooting, to stop the fighting, to get to the table" Rubio said.

US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz: "We've gone from IF the war is going to end to now HOW the war is going to end."

During a briefing after the talks, Waltz said that Ukraine shares Trump's views on peace and has provided "very specific proposals" for ending the war.

He noted that Ukraine not only agreed to their proposal for a complete ceasefire, the details of which were outlined in their joint statement, but they also discussed further details on how the war should end and what kinds of guarantees Ukraine should have for its long-term security and prosperity.

Waltz also responded to questions regarding how Ukraine's proposal for a ceasefire at sea and in the air evolved into an American proposal for a complete ceasefire, explaining that President Trump had made it very clear to everyone that all hostilities must stop.

Additionally, Mike Waltz announced his meeting with a Russian representative. It is also known that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will have talks with the foreign ministers of the G7 in the next few days, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will visit the White House on Thursday.

What to expect after the negotiations

In a comment to RBC-Ukraine, the executive director of the Penta Center for Applied Political Studies, Oleksandr Leonov, explained what to expect following the negotiations in Saudi Arabia.

"This is just the beginning, and it is important to note that Ukraine is defending itself, that Ukraine is fighting. Given certain statements from some Republicans, representing the MAGA movement, it seemed that in the United States, this was already being questioned," Leonov said.

According to him, it is important that both sides mentioned the possibility of a 30-day ceasefire with further extensions. As stated in the declaration, there are no preconditions for this. Previously, Russia had demanded that the ceasefire be initiated only under the condition that its demands were met. Therefore, the US now needs to receive a response from Russia.

"It’s no coincidence that there have been rumors that Steve Witkoff may fly to Moscow on March 13. Most likely, he will communicate and discuss the next steps," Leonov noted.

At the same time, a meeting between Trump and Putin is only possible if larger agreements are in place.

"I am convinced that the meeting between Trump and Putin should take place one-on-one when it is already clear what the agreement will look like and when it is clear that Russia is ready for a specific ceasefire format. For Trump, the meeting is important as a way to demonstrate that he has achieved something. If it's just a meeting for the sake of meeting, clearly, he won’t be understood in the United States," the expert said.

It is important that Ukraine has shown a willingness to be constructive, countering Trump’s accusations against Zelensky that he allegedly "doesn’t want peace."

"Obviously, Donald Trump needs something fast. A ceasefire is exactly the quick result that could happen. If Russia refuses, then Russia will be the one to answer for its unwillingness and lack of readiness to start the peace process," Leonov stated.

Meanwhile, the normalization of relations with Ukraine will depend on Russia's response and the personal reaction of US President Donald Trump.

"The key signal should be the restoration of full intelligence-sharing, the resumption of assistance, and the next steps toward signing an agreement on mineral resources. At the moment, it is unclear what the scope will be; everything has been said in general terms. Obviously, this will be determined by Russia’s reaction and Trump’s response. Because right now, this all seems to be postponed to the future, apart from the 30-day ceasefire," Leonov concluded.

Sources: the statement on the results of the meeting on the President's Office website, statements from the participants of the negotiations during the briefing, a post by Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha on Facebook, the evening address by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, statements by Donald Trump, the materials from SkyNews, and a comment by the Executive Director of the Penta Center, Oleksandr Leonov, for RBC-Ukraine.