Rubio: Ball in Russia’s court after Ukraine backs ceasefire proposal

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it is dependent on Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine for immediate negotiations toward an end of the war to begin. 

Rubio made his remarks following a meeting with senior Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that served to repair U.S. and Ukrainian relations, with the Trump administration restarting military and intelligence assistance that was paused in the aftermath of an Oval Office argument late last month. 

The Ukrainians expressed a readiness to accept the ceasefire, Rubio said, adding the U.S. will deliver the offer to Russia through multiple diplomatic channels.

“Our hope is that the Russians will say yes, that they will also agree, so the shooting will stop, the killing will stop, the dying will stop, and the talks can begin about how to end this war permanently, in a way that’s acceptable and enduring for both sides.”

Russia launched heavy attacks against Ukraine, including a large-scale drone assault, on the third-anniversary of the war — Feb. 24 — and firing cruise and ballistic missiles earlier this week amid the pause in U.S. military assistance. 

Ukraine responded with its largest drone attack against Russia, with at least 91 drones shot down over Moscow and more than 240 drones targeting other areas across Russia. 

Bloomberg reported that sources close to Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled he is willing to discuss a temporary truce in Ukraine. 

President Trump said he believes Putin wants peace and said, “I think we’re doing very well with Russia,” in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday.