US‑Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia spark ceasefire hope
Are the negotiation agreements between the USA and Ukraine, which took place on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, a first step towards peace in Ukraine? - If Putin does not cease his aggression, there will be no agreement. It is the aggressor who must halt the attacks, not the defender who must cease defending, says Prof. Maciej Milczanowski from the University of Rzeszów.
- In truth, we do not know what was agreed upon behind the scenes. What has been officially stated is currently favourable for Ukraine. However, negotiations are still ongoing. A first step towards a ceasefire was taken in Saudi Arabia. Russia's reactions are negative, so we will see what happens next, assesses Prof. Maciej Milczanowski, deputy director of the Institute of Political Science at the University of Rzeszów and a security expert.
According to the joint statement issued by the USA and Ukraine after Tuesday's talks in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine expressed its readiness to accept the US proposal for implementing an immediate, temporary 30-day ceasefire. The USA will immediately resume exchanging information, intelligence, and military support for Ukraine.
"Ukraine has expressed readiness to accept the US proposal for implementing an immediate, temporary 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended with mutual consent of both parties and is subject to acceptance and simultaneous implementation by the Russian Federation" - the statement text published by the diplomatic departments of both countries reads after nearly nine hours of talks at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Jeddah. "The United States will communicate to Russia that reciprocity on the Russian side is key to achieving peace" - it added.
The document also emphasised that the United States "will immediately lift the pause on intelligence exchange and resume security assistance to Ukraine".
"For Trump, business is important"
- Remember, Russia is the aggressor in this war. If Putin does not cease his aggression, there will be no agreement. It is the aggressor who must halt the attacks, not the defender who must cease defending. Russia should declare a ceasefire, and Kyiv should respond. This has been turned upside down. Despite these arrangements, the Kremlin does not want this ceasefire, evaluates Prof. Milczanowski.
The expert highlights that Trump remains focused on business above all else. According to him, matters such as Kyiv's struggles or empathy in politics hold little significance for Trump. Instead, his priorities lie in business dealings and delivering on electoral promises. What truly matters, the expert notes, is the nature of political proposals rather than acts of apology or appeals for forgiveness.
According to Prof. Milczanowski, Ukraine probably agreed to cede some territories. Kyiv knows it cannot reclaim them, and there is little chance of that. So, to achieve success in negotiations, the Ukrainians probably agreed to territorial concessions. Our interlocutor believes Zelensky, though reluctantly, agreed with Donald Trump's administration.
"They are not toy soldiers"
According to the interviewee, the problem is that Russia wants control over Ukraine. - Up until now, the White House has not understood this. The fact that Putin intends to strip Ukraine of its sovereignty completely. This is what Russia is fighting for. Territories are there to humiliate Kyiv; to show that Putin is practical and skilled, while Zelensky is unnecessarily rebelling – says the scientist.
According to Prof. Milczanowski, Ukraine wanted to unblock the supplies of weapons from the USA, intelligence data, and satellite images by sitting at the negotiation table. They achieved that. That's why they probably agreed to hand over some territories. Which ones? This will become clear after the USA-Russia talks.
- Remember that from a military perspective, if the Americans provide support in the form of weapon supplies and intelligence data, these are not toy soldiers we play with on the floor. Every such decision has long-term consequences. The Ukrainians apologised, and the Ukrainians humbled themselves. This is an extension of the hand by Zelensky – adds the source.
After the end of the meeting in Saudi Arabia, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, told reporters that now "the ball is in Russia's court" and added that the gesture of goodwill he expects from Moscow is a consent to the truce.
- We will now take this offer to the Russians and hope they say "yes" and that they say "yes" to peace. The ball is now in their court. And again, the president's goal here is number one, above everything else: he wants the war to end and I think today Ukraine made a concrete move in this regard. We hope the Russians will reciprocate. - stated Rubio. - He added that if they say no, unfortunately, we will find the obstacle to peace.
- In these negotiations, traditional politics are no longer present. Now there is dialogue with Trump. The one who understands this faster will negotiate better terms to end the war – summarises Prof. Milczanowski.
Let us remind that after the talks in Saudi Arabia, Russia announced that it would make its own decisions regarding the conflict in Ukraine. Moscow previously claimed that it was ready for a ceasefire, if Ukraine renounces NATO membership and accepts the incorporation of regions taken by Russian forces into the Russian Federation.
Meanwhile, the US State Department indicated President Donald Trump is committed to swiftly ending the war. It emphasized the need for all parties to take steps toward achieving lasting peace.
