US to lift intel and aid block as Ukraine agrees to ceasefire plan
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The news: The Trump administration has lifted its block on sharing military aid and intelligence with Ukraine after Kyiv agreed to a US proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire in its war with Russia, if Moscow also backs the plan.
The context: The announcement of the proposal followed talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to the agreement on the restoration of US aid, the two nations discussed potential humanitarian relief, prisoner exchanges and the return of "forcibly transferred" Ukrainian children, they said in a joint statement.
They also noted that European partners would be involved in further efforts to broker peace.
The truce proposal comes a week after Washington imposed the block on aid to Ukraine in the wake of a tense Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that saw Trump accuse Zelesnsky of being unwilling to negotiate a peace deal with Russia.
The US will now take the proposal to Russia, with Trump potentially speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days. "Hopefully President Putin will agree to that also, and we can get this show on the road,” Trump told reporters after the agreement was announced. “It takes two to tango.”
What they said: “Ukraine is ready for peace,” said Zelensky in a video statement. “Russia must show whether it is ready to end the war or whether it continues the war.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was involved in the negotiations, said: "Today we made an offer which the Ukrainians have accepted, which is to enter into a cease-fire and into immediate negotiations to end this conflict in a way that’s enduring and sustainable and accounts for their interests, their security, their ability to prosper as a nation.”
The sources: US, Ukraine joint statement, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press
