Keir Starmer hails 'remarkable breakthrough' in talks between Ukraine and US as 30-day ceasefire agreed
11 March 2025, 21:16 | Updated: 12 March 2025, 15:18
Sir Keir Starmer hailed a "remarkable breakthrough" in talks between the US and Ukraine after the countries agreed a plan for a 30-day ceasefire.
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The PM, who has led European efforts to build a peacekeeping mission in the event an agreement to end the war is reached, echoed US remarks saying the "ball is now in the Russian court".
He said he would be convening leaders this weekend to discuss the next steps.
It comes as Trump's US administration also announced on Tuesday that it would immediately lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and its intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
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"I warmly welcome the agreement today in Jeddah and congratulate President Trump and President Zelenskyy for this remarkable breakthrough," Sir Keir 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."
He added: "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."
Leaders joining the Prime Minister in Saturday's call are "ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom," Sir Keir said.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier on Tuesday that his country is "ready to accept" the ceasefire proposal and challenged Russia to do the same.
"Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal - we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it. Now, it is up to the United States to convince Russia to do the same. If Russia agrees, the ceasefire will take effect immediately," he said.
Zelenskyy added that he was "grateful" to Trump for the "constructive conversation" between the nations, despite tensions developing between the pair over recent weeks.
Trump has said he expects to speak to Russian leader Vladimir Putin later this week and is optimistic Russia will agree to the terms.
Speaking to reporters following the talks, he said: “Ukraine. Ceasefire. Just agreed to a little white ago… Ukraine has agreed to it, and hopefully Russia will agree to it.”
But he told reporters outside the White House "it takes two to tango" as the ball now lies in Putin's court.
Asked whether he he would invite Zelenskyy back to the White House, Trump replied: “Sure, absolutely”.
The US also immediately lifted the block on its intelligence sharing with Ukraine and went back to providing security assistance.
The countries hailed the breakthrough as "important steps towards restoring durable peace" in today's meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The US paused military aid and the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine earlier this month following a tense meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
A move many described as an "ambush", the tense White House exchange on February 28 descended into chaos in front of the world's media.
![Sir Keir Starmer has called on Vladimir Putin to "stop dragging his heels and get to the [negotiating] table", as Trump calls the Russian president "misguided."](https://images.lbc.co.uk/images/734580?width=320&crop=16_9&format=webp&signature=hCtUT-QBb1QuxMxVTF6Ch2nl6Ow=)
