Ukraine agreed for ceasefire, hopefully Russia will agree to it, says Trump after meet in Jeddah

Washington: US President Donald Trump has welcomed Ukraine agreeing to the ceasefire after the peace talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and further affirmed hope that Russia will also agree to it.

Stating that soldiers of both Russia and Ukraine are being killed in this “horrible war”, Trump said reaching a ceasefire is “very important”.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (local time), Trump said, “Ukraine, ceasefire, just agreed to a little while ago. Now we have to go to Russia and hopefully President Putin will agree to that also and we can get this show on the road. We can get this horrible war...I get the reports and they’re not American soldiers. They’re Ukrainian and they’re Russian. But, people are being killed outside of that. People are being killed in the cities as things explode throughout the cities and we want to get that war over with.”

“So, I think it’s very big. I think it’s a big difference between the last visit you saw at the Oval Office and so that’s a total ceasefire, Ukraine has agreed to it, and hopefully Russia will agree to it. We’re going to meet with him later on today and tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be able to wipe out a deal. But I think the ceasefire is very important. If we can get Russia to do it, that’ll be great. If we can’t, we just keep going on and people are going to get killed, lots of people,” he added.

Trump’s statement comes after Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an “immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire,” which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by Russia.

The US will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.

“The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace. The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine,” the joint statement released following the United States-Ukraine Meeting in Jeddah read.

During the meeting, the delegations of the two nations discussed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process, particularly during the above-mentioned ceasefire, including the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.

The two delegations agreed to name their negotiating teams and immediately begin negotiations toward an enduring peace that provides for Ukraine’s long-term security. The US committed to discussing these specific proposals with representatives from Russia. The Ukrainian delegation reiterated that European partners shall be involved in the peace process.

The representatives of Ukraine and the US praised the “bravery of the Ukrainian people” in defence of their nation and agreed that “now is the time to begin a process toward lasting peace.”

The Ukrainian delegation also reiterated the “Ukrainian people’s strong gratitude to President Trump, the US Congress, and the people of the United States” for making possible meaningful progress toward peace. (ANI)

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