Kyiv endorses US-proposed interim truce

Ukraine's support for a US-proposed temporary ceasefire with Russia marks a significant shift by Kyiv from its stance just one week ago with regard to an eventual diplomatic solution to the three-year-long crisis.

But analysts said that, despite the turning point that emerged on Tuesday at the talks hosted by Saudi Arabia, much more needs to be done to ensure that there is a peaceful solution to the longest conflict in Europe since World War II.

Wang Chenxing, an associate professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' School of International Politics and Economics, said that a final solution to the crisis can only be achieved after the core interests of Russia, the United States and Europe are guaranteed.

"Since Russia now has the upper hand on the battlefield, time is on its side in terms of peace negotiations. But the US is eager to withdraw from the crisis, ignoring the feelings of Europeans to some degree," Wang said.

A joint statement after the talks in Jeddah, which were held without European participation, said that Ukraine is ready to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by the mutual agreement of the parties.

Moreover, Ukraine would receive renewed US security aid and intelligence sharing, and the US would get preliminary approval for access to Ukraine's mineral resources.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday that it is hoped that all parties involved can find a sustainable and lasting solution for peace that addresses each party's concerns through dialogue and negotiation.

"China has been calling for political settlement through dialogue and negotiation since the first day of the Ukraine crisis, and has been actively working for peace and pushing for talks," Mao said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly thanked US President Donald Trump for the "positive" proposal.

"Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal — we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it," Zelensky said. In Washington, Trump said he was ready to welcome Zelensky back to the White House.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it did not rule out contacts with US representatives.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview published on Wednesday that Moscow will avoid compromises that would jeopardize people's lives, reiterating Russia's stance that under no conditions will it accept the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, should there be a permanent peace settlement.

Nagapushpa Devendra, a West Asia analyst and research scholar at the University of Erfurt in Germany, said that despite the positive diplomatic effort, it may still be unlikely to achieve an immediate ceasefire given the complexities.

Without security assurances, Kyiv may hesitate to agree to any political settlement, Devendra said, adding that another crucial aspect is that Russia has agreed to engage with the US but its core demands, like Ukraine's neutrality and territorial concessions, remain unchanged.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Saudi side expressed its hope that the "efforts to achieve comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine" will succeed in ending the conflict in line with international law and the United Nations Charter.

Jasim Husain, a Gulf analyst and former member of the Bahraini parliament, highlighted the importance of the Middle East as a mediator in resolving the Ukraine crisis.

However, the US-Ukraine statement did not include any mention of the explicit security guarantees that Kyiv had been seeking, as Ukraine and the US said they agreed to conclude a deal "as soon as possible" securing US access to Ukraine's mineral wealth, which Trump demanded as compensation for the billions of dollars in US military aid given to Ukraine under his predecessor Joe Biden.