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