16 March 2025

The Ukraine Ceasefire Question: Russia Has a Big Choice to Make

Andrew A. Michta

Secretary Marco Rubio’s announcement following the US-Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia that Ukraine has agreed to accept a 30-day ceasefire and to enter into negotiations with Russia is a test of the Trump administration’s relations with Moscow going forward.

As part of the Jeddah agreement, Washington will immediately restart intelligence sharing with Kyiv, restore deliveries of weapons and munitions, and work to complete the rare earth minerals deal with Ukraine.

The Ceasefire Question in Ukraine: What Will Russia Do?

This deal now puts the burden on Russia, for as Secretary Rubio said, “the ball is now in their court.

The details of the agreement, and notwithstanding the fact that it does not address the critical question of security guarantees for Ukraine should a peace deal be negotiated, are not as important as the underlying dynamic of what just happened: For the first time since the Trump administration made ending the war a key pillar of its agenda, Russia is now firmly in the spotlight.

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