On March 11 local time, U.S. and Ukrainian officials held an eight-hour meeting in Saudi Arabia, ultimately reaching an agreement in which Ukraine accepted the U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, in exchange for the Trump administration's resumption of suspended military aid and intelligence sharing. This was the first meeting since the dispute between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky. After the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio appealed to Russia, stating that it now depends on the Russian side to accept the ceasefire agreement to initiate negotiations to end the war.
Rubio noted that Ukraine has expressed its willingness to accept the ceasefire agreement, adding that the U.S. will present this proposal to Russia through various diplomatic channels. As of the time of publication, Russia has yet to respond to the proposal. Rubio emphasized the hope for both Russia and Ukraine to reach an agreement to end the conflict and promote long-term peace.
Since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February 2022, Ukraine has been committed to joining NATO, a goal that Russia views as a threat. Russia believes that if Ukraine were to join NATO, Western forces could potentially be deployed directly on the Russia-Ukraine border, posing a threat to Russia's geopolitical security, which led to its military action against Ukraine.
Regarding the ceasefire proposal, Russia has stated that it is willing to discuss a temporary ceasefire as long as progress is made on a final peace resolution. However, Russia previously rejected a "partial ceasefire plan" proposed by France and the UK, considering a temporary ceasefire with Ukraine unacceptable, as it could give Ukraine a breathing space.
In an interview, Trump expressed his belief that Russian President Putin wishes to achieve peace and maintained that U.S.-Russia relations have remained good. However, he also warned that both Ukraine and Russia should come to the negotiating table before it is too late to resolve this long-standing conflict.
