Ukraine may agree to a partial ceasefire with Russia to resume intelligence sharing and the US military assistance, including a halt to drone and long-range missile strikes and a halt to hostilities in the Black Sea.
This is reported by the Financial Times (FT), citing sources informed about the negotiations.
Negotiations between the Ukrainian and American delegations will take place in Saudi Arabia on March 11. According to the publication, then Kyiv will offer the United States an option with a partial ceasefire. Earlier, the US President Donald Trump said that in order to resume aid to Ukraine, it is necessary to show a desire for peace.
An unnamed Ukrainian official told the FT that Kyiv would now prioritize repairing its ties with the United States. Two European officials said Kyiv viewed progress in ceasefire talks with Russia as an equal exchange for the restoration of military and intelligence assistance from the United States.
For its part, the United States may use negotiations with the Ukrainian side to determine whether Kyiv is ready to make concessions to Moscow, US officials told Reuters.
"You canʼt say ʼI want peaceʼ and ʼI refuse to compromiseʼ. We want to see whether Ukrainians are interested not just in peace, but in real peace. If they are only interested in the borders of 2014 or 2022, that says something," one of the agencyʼs interlocutors noted. The American delegation will check whether Ukraine is determined to improve relations with the US after the dispute between Trump and Zelensky in the White House.
If the talks fail, the US could impose on Ukraine “what they and Russia decide”, and Kyiv would not have another chance to improve relations with the US side, Ukrainian officials told The Economist. The US tactic now is to see how far Ukraine is willing to go beyond its own “red lines” during peace talks.
The US President Donald Trump said ahead of the talks in Saudi Arabia that he expects “significant progress” from them. According to him, the US has “almost” resumed intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
What preceded
On March 5, the US stopped sharing all intelligence with Ukraine and also halted military aid that was en route. A Trump adviser said the US would resume deliveries when Ukraine and Russia set a date for peace talks.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Ukraine is already working on alternatives. In particular, intelligence data can be provided by other allied countries.
Presumably, this issue will be discussed at a meeting of American-Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia on March 11. The Americans will be represented by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the White House Special Representative for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and the US Presidentʼs National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Ukraine will be represented by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha, Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, and Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa.
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