Ukraine agrees to US proposal for immediate 30-day ceasefire

US President Donald Trump will invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy back to the White House, after Ukraine agreed to the American proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire* with Russia.

Mr Trump said he expects to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week and he hopes Moscow will agree to the terms of the ceasefire.

The United States agreed to immediately restore military aid and intelligence sharing* with Kyiv after Ukraine agreed to the deal.

On the ceasefire deal, Mr Trump told reporters: “We just agreed to it a little while ago. Hopefully, President Putin can agree to it also and we can get this show on the road.”

Mr Trump said he expected his next meeting with Mr Zelenskyy would go more smoothly, after their heated Oval Office confrontation last month turned into a shouting match and threatened to derail* peace talks.

“I think it’s a big difference between the last visit you saw in the Oval Office, and this,” Mr Trump said.

“That’s a total ceasefire — Ukraine has agreed to it, and hopefully Russia will agree to it.”

In his evening address, Mr Zelenskyy was optimistic about the proposed truce.

“Ukraine welcomes this proposal, we consider it positive, we are ready to take such a step.” Mr Zelenskyy said.

“The United States of America has to convince Russia to do this. So we agree, and if the Russians agree, the ceasefire will work at that very moment.”

US SAYS: “BALL IS IN RUSSIA’S COURT”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz confirmed the ceasefire news after talks with Ukrainian counterparts in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“The offer is to stop the shooting,” Mr Rubio told reporters when asked if it was a complete ceasefire or just a “sea and sky” deal that was said to have been proposed by the Ukrainians.

Mr Rubio said that the “ball is in Russia’s court”, adding that the US hoped Moscow would agree to the deal.

“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim* 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement* of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation* by the Russian Federation,” a joint statement from the US and Ukraine governments said.

“The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity* is the key to achieving peace.

“The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.”

The statement praised the bravery of the Ukrainian people and said now was the time “to begin a process toward lasting peace”.

The US will now put the peace proposal to the Kremlin.

Kyiv also thanked the US for its support.

“The Ukrainian delegation reiterated* the Ukrainian people’s strong gratitude to President Trump, the US Congress, and the people of the United States for making possible meaningful progress toward peace,” the statement said.

The plan will also see Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy return to the negotiating table to discuss signing the minerals deal that was abandoned after their recent White House meeting.

WORLD LEADERS REACT
French President Emmanuel Macron joined fellow European leaders in welcoming the 30-day ceasefire plan.

“The ball is now clearly in Russia’s court,” Mr Macron wrote in a post on X.

“France and its partners remain committed to a solid and lasting peace, which is backed by robust security guarantees for Ukraine.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy on a “remarkable breakthrough”.

“I warmly welcome the agreement … and congratulate President Trump and President Zelenskyy for this remarkable breakthrough,” 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.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• ceasefire: a temporary order to stop fighting
• intelligence sharing: allowing Ukraine to use US surveillance equipment, including satellites, to intercept attacks
• derail: obstruct a process by taking it off course
• truce: an agreement to stop fighting
• interim: temporary
• mutual agreement: something both parties agree to
• concurrent implementation: implementing more than one thing at the same time
• reciprocity: give and take, both parties putting in equal amounts
• volatile: unpredictable, likely to change rapidly and for the worse
• reiterated: to say something over and over again to emphasise its importance

EXTRA READING
Diplomatic disaster at White House
Trump’s ‘Octagon Office’ diplomacy
Beloved toys comfort Ukraine kids

QUICK QUIZ
1. How many days is the ceasefire in the US proposal?
2. Who still needs to agree to it for the ceasefire to come into effect?
3. What other deal will be discussed between the US and Ukraine following talks of the ceasefire?
4. What has the US restored as part of the ceasefire plan?
5. How have the UK and France responded to the ceasefire plan?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1 What does it mean?
Reporters asked Marco Rubio if the offer was a complete ceasefire or a “sea and sky deal.” Write sentences explaining what you think a sea and sky deal is and how it is different from a complete ceasefire. Use information in the story to help you.

Time: allow at least 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
What steps do you think need to happen to turn a 30 day ceasefire into an end to this conflict? Write the list of steps that you think each country should take, including other European countries and the United States, to make this happen.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship

VCOP ACTIVITY
To sum it up
After reading the article, use your comprehension skills to summarise in a maximum of three sentences what the article is about.

Think about:

• What is the main topic or idea?
• What is an important or interesting fact?
• Who was involved (people or places)?

Use your VCOP skills to re-read your summary to make sure it is clear, specific and well punctuated.