Kyiv and Washington have agreed to begin technical-level discussions on a temporary 30-day ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine next week, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said on March 11 after talks in Saudi Arabia.
"Next week, we have already agreed that at the technical expert level, the teams will start talking about all the details," Yermak told reporters.
The deal marks a surprising shift for Ukraine, which has previously warned that a temporary pause in fighting would allow Russia to regroup and launch further offensives. The proposal would require Moscow to abide by the ceasefire terms.
Talks in Jeddah also led to Washington restarting key military and intelligence support for Ukraine, reversing a decision made after the Feb. 28 Oval Office confrontation between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Yermak, the discussions also covered potential security guarantees for Ukraine, though he acknowledged that negotiations on this front are still ongoing.
"We understand exactly what we need. Our American partners understand this. They are sympathetic to this issue, but these conversations continue. Today, we have taken the first step, a very important one. And there is still much work to be done," he said.
Trump has previously refused to commit to security guarantees for Ukraine, saying in February that Europe should take responsibility for Kyiv's security.
Moscow has not publicly responded to the U.S.-backed proposal. Russian nationalist voices and pro-war bloggers have already expressed opposition to a ceasefire that would freeze the conflict along the current front lines.
Trump said the U.S. would seek to engage Russian President Vladimir Putin in discussions on the plan this week.
"It takes two for tango, as I have already said, so I hope he (Putin) will also agree as well, and I really think that would be 75% of the way, the rest is getting it documented," Trump said on March 11.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
