Will Russia accept? Ukraine agrees to US-brokered ceasefire if Moscow complies

In a potential breakthrough, Ukraine has agreed to an immediate 30-day ceasefire brokered by the United States, provided Russia accepts the deal, officials confirmed Tuesday.

As part of the agreement, Washington will resume intelligence-sharing and security assistance to Kyiv, marking a shift in US policy more than three years after Russia’s invasion.

The truce, if implemented, would halt hostilities across the entire front line, the Black Sea, and aerial combat zones.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where high-level US and Ukrainian delegations held seven hours of negotiations, emphasized that "Ukraine is ready to start talking and stop shooting."

Both US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have also agreed to finalize a strategic agreement on Ukraine’s critical mineral resources, according to a joint statement from their governments.

Zelenskyy welcomed the proposed ceasefire, saying, “Ukraine sees this as a positive step. The United States must now persuade Russia to do the same. If Russia agrees, silence will take effect immediately.”

Rubio underscored the importance of Russia’s response, stating,

The US-Ukraine joint statement also highlighted humanitarian relief efforts, including prisoner exchanges, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children, as key components of the peace process.

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to peace, saying, “From the very first second of this war, Ukraine has sought peace. We want to end this war swiftly and decisively so it never returns.”

With Ukraine on board, all eyes now turn to Moscow’s next move—will Russia accept the deal and take a step toward ending the war?