Updated March 11, 2025 at 17:25 PM ET
KYIV, Ukraine — The United States will resume sending military aid and intelligence to Ukraine after Ukraine agreed to a Trump administration proposal for a monthlong ceasefire, the U.S. and Ukraine said after talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
It was the first high-level meeting between Ukraine and the U.S. since the Trump administration froze military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine in the wake of a televised blowup between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in late February.
In a joint statement, both countries' governments said Tuesday's talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, marked "important steps toward restoring durable peace for Ukraine."
The talks took place after Ukraine and Russia launched major drone strikes on each other's territory, coming more than three years into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. 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 statement from the U.S. and Ukraine said.
The U.S. hopes Russia agrees
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the U.S. delegation, said after the talks that the U.S. will now take the offer to the Russians.
"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," Rubio said. "I hope they're going to say yes. And if they do, then I think we've made great progress. If they say no, then we'll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here."
Zelenskyy, who was not at the talks, gave a video address afterward expressing thanks to all involved.
He said Ukraine proposed stopping air and sea attacks, engaging in diplomacy, and "the release of our military and civilian prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children who were taken to Russia." He later said in an English-language social media post, "The American side understands our arguments and considers our proposals. I am grateful to President Trump for the constructive conversation between our teams."
There was no immediate reaction from the Kremlin. But Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Ria Novosti, regarding the prospect of U.S.-Russia talks, "We do not rule out contacts with U.S. representatives over the next few days."
Russian nationalist commentators quickly denounced the ceasefire proposal. Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, summarized the online criticism of the deal as calling it "an attempt to stop the Russian offensive and steal victory for Russia."
"Ukraine wants to take a pause in the war to regroup and rearm," Sergei Grigorov, a Russian nationalist historian, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia and Ukraine both want guarantees
But Russia and Ukraine have something in common when it comes to possible ceasefire talks, according to Samuel Charap, a Russia specialist at the Rand Corp. think tank in Washington, D.C.,
"They both want to ensure that this is not just a temporary pause," said Charap, who has previously served in the State Department. "Whatever agreement they reach they will want it to actually end the war, so both sides will want to prioritize the broader issues rather than just a short-term ceasefire."
For Russia, he said that means trying to get various political demands met. Charap said Russia wants to be able to control the territory its forces captured from Ukraine without the risk of renewed Ukrainian attempts to retake the land. It also wants Ukraine to become a neutral buffer rather than deepen Kyiv's relations with NATO.
As for Ukraine, he said the most important thing is having international security commitments so it doesn't face another invasion alone.
Ukraine can't afford to lose the U.S.
Ukrainians and European allies were alarmed when the U.S., which had led strong opposition to Russia's invasion in support of Kyiv, seemed to be reversing course. President Trump has berated Zelenskyy and made overtures toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainians said they hoped the White House would change its tone toward Ukraine after Tuesday's talks.
Roman Kostenko, a Ukrainian military commander who also serves in parliament, told NPR that Ukraine cannot afford to lose the U.S. as an ally.
"We have no way out," Kostenko said. "We have to manage or we will die. It's not even a choice."
Another Ukrainian lawmaker, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, who has worked on trans-Atlantic issues, said Ukrainians are trying to convince the Trump administration that caving in to Russia's demands would make the U.S. look weak.
"Is it in the interest of the United States to look weak?" she said. "Because I think a Ukrainian defeat would be a direct defeat of the United States."
Joanna Kakissis and Eleanor Beardsley reported from Kyiv. Michele Kelemen reported from Washington, D.C. Charles Maynes reported from Tbilisi, Georgia. Polina Lytvynova and Hanna Palamarenko contributed reporting from Kyiv.
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