The Trump administration has flipped the switch back on, resuming military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after a week-long freeze, while Kyiv dangles a 30-day ceasefire offer to Russia—if Moscow bites. The moves, hashed out Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, signal a thaw after a rocky spat between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The aid suspension, slapped on last week to nudge Zelenskyy toward peace talks with Russia, is now history. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, fresh from Jeddah’s luxury hotel talks, said the U.S. will pitch Kyiv’s ceasefire idea to the Kremlin. “We’re laying it out: Ukraine’s ready to talk, not shoot,” Rubio told reporters. “Russia’s move now—yes or no.”
The Saudi sit-down—attended by Ukrainian heavyweights like presidential aide Andriy Yermak and flanked by U.S. and Saudi flags—came hours after Russia swatted down over 300 Ukrainian drones, Kyiv’s boldest strike yet in the three-year war. Russia countered with 126 drones and a ballistic missile, hammering Ukrainian civilian zones.
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, might jet to Moscow later this week to face off with Vladimir Putin, though plans are shaky, a source said. Back in Jeddah, Rubio flashed a grin and a thumbs-up to cameras, while Ukraine’s delegation kept poker faces. Yermak stressed to reporters that lasting peace hinges on “security guarantees” to block future Russian invasions.
The talks, split into morning and afternoon rounds, dodged shouted press questions. No word yet on Ukraine’s massive drone blitz—343 strong, killing three and wounding 18 across 10 Russian regions—or Russia’s retaliatory barrage. In Moscow, Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov called the Jeddah powwow “normal practice,” hinting Russia will get the debrief soon.
On Kyiv’s streets, opinions swirled. Psychologist Lena Herasymenko told AP she’s open to compromise but wants it “reasonable” after staggering war losses. “Our kids are hurting—we don’t know what’s next,” she said. Soldier Oleksandr, bound by security rules to a first name only, wasn’t sold on a truce. “Russia’ll just reload and hit us harder,” he warned.
The Jeddah meet-up was a chance to patch things up after Zelenskyy’s February 28 White House clash with Trump. Ukraine’s desperate to keep U.S. support flowing—officials say a Jeddah win could lock it in. Kyiv’s dangling a ceasefire covering Black Sea shipping, civilian-targeted missile strikes, and prisoner swaps, plus a Trump-coveted deal on Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Rubio played it cool, saying the U.S. isn’t dictating terms—just listening to Ukraine’s limits and Russia’s asks. The minerals pact? A loose handshake for now, details TBD.
The Kremlin’s not budging: no NATO for Ukraine, and Moscow keeps its seized fifth of Ukrainian turf. Russian forces, bleeding men and tanks, still hold the edge along the 1,000-kilometer front, especially in Donetsk. Ukraine’s drone game is leveling up—overnight, 126 fell in Kursk, 91 near Moscow, rattling the capital with its biggest hit yet. Flight chaos gripped six Russian airports as debris torched homes and cars.
For now, Trump’s aid restart and Kyiv’s ceasefire tease are shaking up the war’s tempo. Will Russia swing back or sit tight? The clock’s ticking.