epa11955892 A handout photo made available by the Andriy Yermak Telegram Channel shows the Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak (R), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (2-R), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (2-L) attend their meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 11 March 2025. US and Ukrainian officials are holding talks in Jeddah to find a path for peace in the Ukraine. EPA-EFE/ANDRIY YERMAK TELEGRAM HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES By Daphne Psaledakis and Pesha Magid
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would now take the offer to the Russians, and that the ball is now in Moscow's court.
"The President wanted this war to end yesterday... So our hope is that the Russians will answer 'yes' as quickly as possible, so we can get to the second phase of this, which is real negotiations," Rubio told reporters, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump, after the statement was issued.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was in Saudi Arabia but did not participate in the talks, said the ceasefire was a "positive proposal," that covers the frontline in the conflict, not just fighting by air and sea.
The two sides also said Washington and Kyiv agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources, a deal that has been in the works for weeks and was thrown into limbo by an acrimonious White House meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy last week.
Zelenskiy said the two countries would work to finalize the minerals agreement.
A top aide to Zelenskiy said options for security guarantees to Ukraine were discussed with U.S. officials. The aide did not detail the options.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Pesha Magid; Additional reporting by Anastasiia Malenko; Writing by Tom Balmforth and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk, Cynthia Osterman and Sharon Singleton)