Andrii Sybiha briefs European partners on ceasefire proposal following substantive US talks.
KYIV (BRUSSELS MORNING NEWSPAPER) – Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has briefed several European partners about what he described as a 'milestone' negotiation with the United States, during which the Ukrainian government affirmed its willingness to support a proposed 30-day ceasefire.
This development follows an extended eight-hour meeting between Ukrainian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, leading to the resumption of military assistance and intelligence collaboration from Washington to Kyiv.
In discussions held after the Jeddah talks, Sybiha communicated with various European foreign ministers, including UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, about the outcomes of the significant meeting.
He emphasized the need for European allies to be involved in any future peace negotiations.
Sybiha stated, 'We adhere to the position: no decisions on the long-term security of Europe without Europe.' This insistence on European involvement signifies Ukraine's commitment to ensuring that its future security landscape is shaped in collaboration with its European partners.
The Ukrainian delegation, which included Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, underscored the necessity of security guarantees to impede future acts of aggression.
Yermak remarked on the importance of initiating a process that leads to concrete outcomes, asserting, 'Security guarantees are very important because we want that this aggression never repeated in the future again.' He expressed a desire for constructive dialogues with American counterparts.
Additionally, Sybiha is scheduled to visit Warsaw to engage in discussions with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
Poland has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, even as a modest decline in public support for military assistance among Poles has been observed.
The recent agreement reached between the U.S. and Ukraine marks a notable shift from a previously tense interaction between U.S. President
Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy earlier this year in February.
While President Zelenskiy was present in Saudi Arabia, he did not directly participate in the negotiations but characterized the proposed ceasefire as a 'positive proposal,' which would entail a ceasefire encompassing all fronts of the conflict, not limited to aerial and naval engagements.
Zelenskiy added, 'Now, it is up to the United States to convince Russia to do the same,' indicating the immediate applicability of the ceasefire should Russia agree.