Cease-fire?

This, on balance, is good news.

• The US says it will immediately restore intelligence sharing and “security assistance” to Ukraine, in a joint statement
• Ukraine also says it is ready to accept a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, after talks in Saudi Arabia
• Officials have been locked in the meeting for several hours in Jeddah

We will see what the Russians come back with. FWIW, our recent simulation on peace talks at the Patterson School reached a cease-fire… that quickly fell apart in the next round of negotiations. More:

The United States agreed on Tuesday to immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume military assistance to Ukraine after more than eight hours of meetings in Saudi Arabia where Kyiv said it would support the Trump administration’s proposal for a 30-day cease-fire with Russia.

The talks in the coastal city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, brought fresh momentum to cease-fire negotiations that faltered following a public confrontation at the White House between the Ukrainian and U.S. presidents. The Trump administration had paused all military assistance and intelligence sharing in the aftermath of the meeting.

The announcement came hours after Russian officials said Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow in the largest bombardment of the war. There was no immediate comment from Russia, which did not have officials at the talks.

In a joint statement, the United States and Ukraine acknowledged that the terms of any cease-fire would be subject to Russia’s approval. They also agreed to conclude “as soon as possible” a deal to develop Ukraine’s critical mineral resources — an agreement that was put on hold after the Oval Office dust-up. That joint venture is intended to “expand Ukraine’s economy and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security,” the statement said.

Photo credit: By Tahir mq – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77044799