Ukraine Considers Ceasefire Deal to Win Back US Military Support

Ukraine is considering a partial ceasefire with Russia in hopes of restarting intelligence sharing and military aid from the US.

The idea is set to be discussed during a meeting between Ukrainian and American officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, March 11.

A partial ceasefire would mean stopping drone and long-range missile strikes, as well as halting fighting in the Black Sea, Financial Times reported, citing sources. However, this doesn’t mean full peace - just a step toward reducing tensions.

Meanwhile, the US wants to use the talks to see if Ukraine is willing to make any compromises with Russia, officials told Reuters.

“You can’t say ‘I want peace,’ and, ‘I refuse to compromise on anything,’” one of the US officials said of the upcoming talks.

They added that if Ukraine insists on keeping its pre-2014 or pre-2022 borders, that could complicate things. “If they are only interested in 2014 or 2022 borders, that tells you something.”

If the talks fail, Washington might push a deal onto Ukraine that benefits Russia, leaving Kyiv with fewer options in the future, Ukrainian officials told The Economist.

Even though, according to Washington, the official goal of the meeting is to lay the groundwork for a peace deal, Ukrainian officials told the Economist that they fear the US might use it as an opportunity for pressing Kyiv or political maneuvering.

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Representing Ukraine in the talks will be Andrii Yermak (Ukrainian presidential chief of staff), Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

On the US side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will attend.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Monday, March 10.

US President Donald Trump is not slated to attend.

Topping the agenda will be the potential lifting of the US freeze on military aid to Ukraine and the resumption of the sharing of battlefield intelligence, two important bargaining chips that Trump decided to exploit ahead of the peace talks, further endangering Ukrainians and their soldiers.

When asked about the progress of the talks over the weekend while aboard Air Force One on a flight between Washington, D.C., and his residence in Florida, Trump said, “I think we’re going to have a good result in Saudi Arabia... We have a lot of good people going out there.

“And I think Ukraine’s going to do well, and I think Russia is going to do well. I think some very big things could happen this week. I hope so.”