US and Ukraine call for 30-day ceasefire following Saudi talks

LONDON -- The United States and Ukraine are calling for a 30-day ceasefire, subject to the acceptance of Russia, following talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The U.S. will also "immediately lift" its pause on intelligence sharing and "resume security assistance to Ukraine," the countries said in a joint statement.

The U.S. and Ukraine "took important steps toward restoring durable peace for Ukraine," the statement said.

"Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. 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 the Russian Federation," the statement said. "The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the U.S. delegation in Jeddah, said the ceasefire proposal will be delivered to Russia "directly through multiple channels."

"The offer is to stop the shooting. The goal here is, the only way out to end this war is to negotiate out of it. There's no military solution to this war," Rubio said during remarks to reporters in Jeddah following the talks. "Before you can negotiate, you have to stop shooting at each other. And that's what [President Donald Trump] has wanted to see, and that's the commitment we got today from the Ukrainian side, their willingness to do that, obviously."

"Our hope is that the Russians will say yes," Rubio added, saying, "The ball is now in their court."

If Russia does say no, "then we'll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine "accepts this proposal and considers it a positive step."

"We are ready to take this step, and the United States must now convince Russia to do the same," he said in a statement. "If Russia agrees, the ceasefire will take effect immediately."

"Ukraine is ready for peace. Now, Russia must decide whether it is ready to end or continue the war. It is time for complete honesty," he added.

Andriy Yermak -- head of the Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia -- said in a statement following the talks, "Protecting Ukraine's interests is our top priority. A just peace is key for us. We want peace. Thank you for a constructive meeting."

Following the talks, Russian Foreign Minister Maria Zakharova told the state-run TASS news agency that Russia does not rule out contacts with U.S. representatives in the next few days.

American and Ukrainian officials met in Jeddah for over eight hours with the goal of charting a course toward ending Russia's three-year-old war -- and after weeks of fraying ties between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy.

The two sides framed Tuesday's talks as a way to reset bilateral relations following last month's explosive Oval Office meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy and Vice President JD Vance. The showdown prompted Trump to denounce Kyiv as the main impediment to peace in Ukraine, as well as placing a freeze on U.S. military aid and some intelligence sharing.

"The most important thing that we have to leave here with is a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to do difficult things," Rubio said on Monday ahead of the talks.

Zelenskyy has stressed his readiness for peace, though he has repeatedly warned that any agreement must ensure deterrence against future Russian aggression. On Monday, Zelenskyy -- who did not take part in Tuesday's talks -- traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman.

Zelenskyy said he had a "detailed discussion" with Salman on "the steps and conditions needed to end the war and secure a reliable and lasting peace," in a social media post after the two leaders met.

"I specifically emphasized the issue of the release of prisoners and the return of our children, which could become a key step in building trust in diplomatic efforts. A significant part of the discussion was dedicated to the formats of security guarantees," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy said a Ukrainian delegation will "remain" in the country to "work with the U.S. team" on Tuesday. Zelenskyy said he hopes for "practical outcomes" from the U.S.-Ukraine meeting. "Ukraine's position in these talks will be fully constructive," he had said ahead of Tuesday's talks.

The U.S. delegation was led by Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Ukraine's negotiating group included Yermak -- the head of Zelenskyy's office -- Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa.

"The team is on site," Yermak wrote on Telegram on Tuesday morning. "Getting ready to work. Protecting Ukrainian interests, a clear vision of ending the war, we will work effectively with our American partners."

Trump's administration is pushing Kyiv to make concessions in pursuit of a peace deal to end Russia's invasion. The White House also wants Ukraine to sign off on a controversial minerals sharing agreement Trump has framed as a way to recoup tens of billions of U.S. aid sent to Ukraine since 2022.

Rubio has said the Russians "are going to have to do difficult things" too, though Trump and his top officials have not said what concessions Moscow may be asked to make. U.S. and Russian negotiators first met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last month.

Ahead of the talks on Tuesday, a source close to Zelenskyy confirmed to ABC News that Ukraine was going to propose a partial ceasefire that would apply to long-range air strikes and attacks at sea.

"We want to propose a partial ceasefire that can be monitored and then see how the Russians respond to determine the next steps," the source added.

Rubio said on Tuesday that the minerals deal with Ukraine "was not the subject of our talks today," but that Trump and Zelenskyy will work "to bring to finality the signature of the deal."

The joint statement on the talks released by the U.S. and Ukraine noted that "both countries' presidents agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine's critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine's economy and guarantee Ukraine's long-term prosperity and security."

The talks began hours after Ukraine launched its largest drone attack of the war into Russia. Russian authorities said defense forces downed 337 drones overnight into Tuesday, including 91 over Moscow. At least two people were killed and eight injured in the capital, Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said.

Asked Tuesday morning if the Ukrainian strikes were intended to disrupt nascent ceasefire talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists, "There are no negotiations yet. So far the Americans, in their own words, are trying to understand how ready Ukraine is for peace talks. There are no negotiations yet, so there is nothing to disrupt here yet."

ABC News' Nataliia Popova, Ellie Kaufman and Oleskiy Pshemyskiy contributed to this report.