‘Ball Is in Russia’s Court’ – Europe Heartened by Peace Talk Progress

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and European leaders hailed the initial peace talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia as a success on Tuesday. Each of them said that it was now Russia’s move on the chess board, or more accurately, in tennis terms, the Kremlin’s turn to return serve.

Rubio, who led the US contingent in Jeddah, relayed that Ukraine had agreed to ceasefire terms and “immediate negotiations” with Russia and that “the ball is now in Russia’s court.”

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov summed up the outcome of all of Ukraine’s positions after the meeting concluded. He outlined them as:

• Resumption of security assistance, including intelligence sharing.
• A 30-day temporary ceasefire. Important: only with mutual agreement from Russia.
• Release of prisoners – military and civilian – and the return of Ukrainian children are a crucial position of the Ukrainian side.
• Agreement on mineral resources – a positive signal for the long-term partnership between Ukraine and the U.S., ensuring security and economic development.
• Europe’s role in negotiations – our partners must be part of the process.

European partners were quick to offer their approval of the progress made in Tuesday’s talks, with Italy promising to step up its military production.

France, which has led the European resolve to offer security assistance to Kyiv in the event of a ceasefire, applauded the outcome.

On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the “progress” made in the talks and said it was now up to Russia to ensure a ceasefire is signed.

“The ball is now clearly in the Russian court,” Macron posted on X, echoing Rubio’s phrase and highlighting “in particular on the idea of a possible 30-day ceasefire.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office on Tuesday said she “welcomes the outcome of the talks” between the United States and Ukraine agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire and that:

Other Topics of Interest

Polish PM Tells Gov’t Ministers They Will Undergo ‘Voluntary’ Military Training

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he has informed his cabinet ministers, women as well as men, that they will undergo “voluntary” military training.

“Italy fully supports the efforts of the United States, under the leadership of President Trump, to achieve a just peace that guarantees the long-term security of Ukraine. Now the decision is up to Russia.”

AFP reported that Italian defense group Leonardo will try to boost its capacity as orders rise in a “complex” environment marked by rising geopolitical tensions, Leonardo’s chief executive said Tuesday.

“We have to ask ourselves how to increase our delivery capacity,” Chief Executive Roberto Cingolani told analysts during a conference call laying out the company’s new five-year industrial plan.

Cingolani’s remarks came after European Union countries agreed last week to boost defense spending, vowing to “re-arm Europe” facing a risk that the United States might not stand by its NATO allies in the face of future Russian aggression.

Other EU members were quick to chime in: “It seems like the Americans and Ukrainians have taken an important step towards peace,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted to social media on Tuesday.