The United States Will Continue Security Support For Ukraine

Meeting of delegates from the United States and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. (Twitter/@KSamofaEN)

JAKARTA - The United States on Tuesday to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kyiv said it was ready to support Washington's 30-day ceasefire proposal with Russia, the two countries said in a joint statement.

After more than eight hours of negotiations with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would now submit the offer to Russia, and the decision rests with Moscow.

"Our hope is that Russia will answer 'yes' as soon as possible, so we can enter the second phase of this, namely the actual negotiations," Foreign Minister Rubio told reporters.

Foreign Minister Rubio said Washington wanted a full deal with Russia and Ukraine "as soon as possible."

"Every day passes, this war continues, people die, people are bombed, people are injured on both sides of this conflict," he said.

How Moscow will respond is still far from certain.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was open to discussing peace deals, but he and his diplomats have repeatedly declared them against the ceasefire and will seek agreements that protect Russia's long-term security.

Foreign Minister Rubio said the plan would be submitted to Russia through various channels. Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, is scheduled to meet with his Russian counterpart in the coming days, while President Donald Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, plans to visit Moscow this week to meet President Putin.

On Tuesday, President Trump said he hoped a ceasefire would soon take place and would speak with Putin this week. "I hope that will happen in the next few days," he told reporters at an event at the White House.

The US-Ukraine agreement represents a drastic change from a fierce meeting at the White House on February 28 between the new US president of the Republican Party, who has long been skeptical of Ukraine's aid, and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In a joint statement Tuesday, the two countries said they agreed to immediately finalize a comprehensive agreement to develop Ukraine's important mineral resources, which have been worked on and are becoming uncertain as a result of the meeting.

Yesterday, President Trump said he would invite President Zelensky back to the White House.

In the evening, Ukrainian officials said US military aid and intelligence sharing had resumed.