Diyar Guldogan
11 March 2025•Update: 11 March 2025
WASHINGTON
US Secretary of State Rubio on Tuesday said the "ball is now in Russia's court" on Ukraine ceasefire.
"Today, we've made an offer that the Ukrainians have accepted, which is to enter into a ceasefire and into immediate negotiations to end this conflict in a way that's enduring and sustainable," Rubio, along with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, told reporters.
His remarks came after the US and Ukraine officials held talks in Saudi Arabia to discuss ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukraine expressed a readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an "immediate, interim" 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement by the parties, according to a statement.
"We'll take this offer now to the Russians, and we hope that they'll say 'yes', that they'll say 'yes' to peace. The ball is now in their court," Rubio said.
Rubio said he thinks Ukraine has taken a "concrete step," adding: "We hope the Russians will reciprocate."
He reiterated that there is no military solution to the war.
"The offer is to stop the shooting," he said, adding Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking.
"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, not never-ending dialogue ..., but real negotiations to end this conflict," he stressed.
US to lift pause on security assistance to Ukraine
Waltz said shuttle diplomacy continues.
"We have a named delegation in terms of next steps from the Ukrainian side. I will talk to my Russian counterpart in the coming days," he said.
He announced that Rubio will be with G7 foreign ministers in the next couple of days, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will be at the White House on Thursday.
Waltz said as a result of "this positive step,” President Donald Trump has decided to lift the pause on aid and US security assistance to Ukraine.
A joint statement said the US will "immediately" lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.
The delegations also discussed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process.
