Prime Minister Keir Starmer tonight welcomed a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has agreed to and said it was now up to Russia to end the fighting.
Starmer congratuled both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump for the ‘remarkable breakthrough’.
The UK leader said he would use a meeting of world leaders that Britain is convening on Saturday to discuss next steps.
He said: ‘This is an important moment for peace in Ukraine and we now all need to redouble our efforts to get to a lasting and secure peace as soon as possible.
‘As both American and Ukrainian delegations have said, the ball is now in the Russian court. Russia must now agree to a ceasefire and an end to the fighting too.
‘I will be convening leaders this Saturday to discuss next steps. We are ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom.’
The agreement, under intense pressure from the U.S. side, now puts the ball in Moscow’s court, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the conclusion of a day of talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.
‘Today, we’ve made an offer that the Ukrainians have accepted, which is to enter into a ceasefire and into immediate negotiations to end this conflict in a way that’s enduring and sustainable,’ said Rubio.
The Trump administration now plans to present the temporary ceasefire offer to Moscow, which has raised a series of demands.
Those include the removal of President Volodymyr Zelensky, recognizing seized territory as now independent states, and a prohibition on Ukraine joining the NATO alliance.
Volodymyr Zelensky (L) walking with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) during their meeting in Jeddah
A fire following a strike on the outskirts of Odessa on March 11, 2025
Prime Minister Keir Starmer (pictured) tonight welcomed a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has agreed to
A local resident stands in the courtyard of his house while smoke rises from a fire following a strike on the outskirts of Odessa on March 11, 2025
‘We´re going to tell them this is what’s on the table. Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no,’ Rubio said.
The breakthrough will put the onus on the Kremlin, just days after an angry Oval Office meeting exposed a rupture between Trump and Zelensky.
Now, following high-stakes meetings in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the president is also lifting a military aid and intelligence sharing pause to Ukraine.
‘As a result of that, and I think as a result of this positive step forward, the president has decided to lift the pause on our security assistance to Ukraine going forward, and that’s effective immediately,’ Rubio said.
That allows for the U.S. to continue providing roughly $4 billion in previously authorized money to arm Ukraine.
Trump himself made only terse comments about Ukraine agreeing to a ceasefire.
‘Very importantly, and I said it: Ukraine. Ceasefire. Just agreed to a little while ago,’ he said while viewing five Tesla vehicles at the White House with billionaire company head Elon Musk.
‘Ukraine has agreed to it, and hopefully Russia will agree to it,’ Trump said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz announced the breakthrough after their meeting with Ukrainian officials
President Donald Trump has now lifted the military aid and intelligence sharing pause to Ukraine
‘Now we have to go to Russia and hope President – hopefully President Putin will agree to that also, and we can get this show on the road.’
Trump called it a ‘horrible war.’
‘People are being killed as the cities – as things explode throughout the cities, and we have to get that war over with,’ he added.
He even indicated Zelensky was welcome back to the White House.
‘Sure, absolutely,’ Trump said, days after exploding at Zelensky in a televised confrontation.
