American and Ukrainian officials sat down for peace talks yesterday (March 11)
Vladimir Putin has ignored America’s calls for a ceasefire with Ukraine.
Yesterday, US and Ukrainian officials gathered in Saudi Arabia for high-stakes talks aimed at bringing an end to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
The meeting concluded on a positive note, with both sides issuing a joint statement outlining their progress. The statement revealed that Ukraine is prepared to implement a 30-day ceasefire, with the possibility of extension by mutual agreement between the involved parties.
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In a significant turn of events, US and Ukrainian officials reached a breakthrough in Saudi Arabia as they discussed efforts to end the Ukraine-Russia war. As part of the discussions, Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, contingent on mutual approval from all parties involved, including Russia. The ceasefire can be extended based on the agreement of both sides.
In the joint statement, it was revealed that Ukraine is willing to accept a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, which will be conditional on Russia’s reciprocation. The United States will lift its pause on military aid to Ukraine, which had been suspended after Donald Trump’s controversial meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month. The statement emphasized that Russia’s response is pivotal to securing lasting peace:
“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal for a ceasefire, which is subject to Russia’s implementation,” the joint statement read. “The United States will immediately resume intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine.”
Following the meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Russia to accept the ceasefire offer, stating, “The ball is now in their court, but the president’s primary goal is to end the war. Ukraine has made a concrete step, and we hope Russia will reciprocate.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump echoed similar sentiments, remarking, “It takes two to tango. I hope we can see a total ceasefire in the coming days.”
Unfortunately, rather than accepting the ceasefire, Vladimir Putin chose to escalate the conflict, ordering a drone strike on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. The attacks continued throughout the night, with at least one fatality reported. A 47-year-old woman lost her life in the drone strikes as tensions remain high.
Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine comes after Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone strike on Russia, just ahead of the peace talks in Saudi Arabia. The drone assault, which targeted Russian territories, resulted in three deaths and 18 injuries, according to BBC News. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that 337 drones were intercepted, with 91 shot down over the Moscow region.
In response to the ongoing discussions, a Kremlin spokesperson mentioned that the Russian government is “carefully studying” the statements made by both Ukraine and the United States following the peace talks in Jeddah. However, the spokesperson also emphasized that the US has yet to officially reach out to Russia regarding the proposed 30-day ceasefire.
Despite this, a Kremlin source shared with Reuters that President Putin finds it difficult to accept the ceasefire proposal in its current form, suggesting that further negotiations may be needed before an agreement can be reached.
