Description: Ukraine and the US concluded the 8 – hour long negotiations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after which an initial 30 – day ceasefire proposal was brought forward. The negotiations also involved the previously discussed minerals deal between the countries in return for security guarantees as well as the resumption of intelligence and military aid by the US. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the talks as highly productive and stated that as of now, the diplomatic ball is on the Russian side. No official response has been solicitated from the Kremlin as previous statements of a long – term peace agreement instead of a short ceasefire were publicly reintroduced by spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. The conclusion from the talks comes as Russia and Ukraine exchanged heavy aerial attacks between the capitals in the last two days.
Impact: Ukraine reiterated their position on peace and agreed on an initial ceasefire which puts the diplomatic pressure on the Russian side which has repeatedly stated their unwillingness to make concessions and agree to such a deal. In the upcoming days an official response is expected from the Russian side which gave no signals of seizing its warfare campaign. Presently there are no security guarantees which would facilitate a ceasefire, and the agreement relies exclusively on the political and diplomatic will of the Russian officials. Direct negotiations between US and Russia are expected later this week where the ceasefire agreement should be solidified, however according to the situation on the ground, the agreement should be short lived, as Russia has continuously denied attempts for a ceasefire under the pretext of military rearmament and buildup.