News Feed

Ukraine to propose ceasefire at sea, in sky during talks with US this week, media outlet reports

2 min read
Ukraine to propose ceasefire at sea, in sky during talks with US this week, media outlet reports
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, takes part in the Ukraine Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, Germany on Sep. 6, 2024. (Andreas Arnold/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The Ukrainian delegation will propose a ceasefire in the sky and at sea during the upcoming talks with the U.S. this week on ending the war with Russia, the Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne reported on March 10, citing a Ukrainian official speaking on condition of anonymity.

Ukrainian and U.S. delegations will hold talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11 to discuss ending the war with Russia.

During the meeting, Ukraine will propose a ceasefire at sea and in the sky and a ban on long-range strikes, the source told Suspilne. The official added that such a ceasefire would be "easy to install and to monitor."

The Ukrainian delegation will also insist on releasing prisoners of war and is ready to sign an agreement on mineral resources with the U.S., according to the source. The mineral resource deal was derailed after a spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Feb. 28.

The U.S. delegation, in turn, will insist that Kyiv agree to a partial truce that would enable negotiations to stop the Russian invasion, Bloomberg reported on March 10.

Ahead of the meeting in Jeddah, Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on March 10 he expects substantial progress in negotiations with Ukraine.

"I think that we're going over there with an expectation that we're going to make substantial progress," Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News.

When asked about the possible signing of the mineral resource agreement in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff said, "All the signs are very, very positive."

Witkoff also said that the U.S. and Ukraine would discuss territorial issues, security protocols, and intelligence sharing.

The Ukrainian president previously announced that his Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Zelensky's Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa would take part in the talks.

The U.S. delegation will be led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Witkoff.

The U.S. officials previously met with Russian representatives in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18. The two sides discussed restoring bilateral relations and held preliminary peace talks without Ukraine's participation.

Russia’s history of violating ceasefire agreements in Ukraine
As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to push for a swift end to the war in Ukraine, fears are mounting that Kyiv could be forced to accept a peace deal on unfavorable terms, and that will leave it vulnerable to future Russian attacks. The fears aren’t unfounded. After Russia
Article image
Avatar
Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Read more
News Feed
 (Updated:  )

"I don't know if it’s gonna affect Russia, because he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wants to obviously probably keep the war going, but we're gonna put tariffs and various things," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

Show More