Rubio says Ukraine partial ceasefire plan 'has promise' ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia

America's apical diplomat has said that helium sees committedness successful Ukraine's connection for a partial ceasefire to extremity the three-year warfare with Russia, up of talks successful Saudi Arabia betwixt US and Ukrainian officials.

"I'm not saying that unsocial is capable but it's the benignant of concession you would request to spot successful bid to extremity the conflict," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said connected Monday.

Kyiv is expected to suggest an aerial and naval truce with Russia during the negotiations connected Tuesday, a Ukrainian authoritative told AFP.

Russia has antecedently rejected the thought of a impermanent ceasefire, saying it was an effort to bargain clip and forestall Ukraine's subject collapse.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky landed successful Saudi Arabia connected Monday to conscionable Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, though helium is not expected to play immoderate ceremonial relation successful the talks betwixt his state and the US.

The Ukrainian squad volition beryllium represented by Zelensky's caput of bureau Andriy Yermak, the country's nationalist information advisor and respective overseas and defence ministers.

Rubio volition correspond the US delegation alongside National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Before arriving successful Jeddah connected Monday, Rubio said that it was important to "establish intelligibly Ukraine's intentions" for a bid woody and that the state would "have to beryllium prepared to bash hard things similar the Russians are going to person to bash hard things to extremity this".

"I'm not going to acceptable immoderate conditions connected what they person to oregon request to do," helium added. "We privation to perceive to spot however acold they're consenting to go, and comparison that to what the Russians want, and past spot however acold isolated we genuinely are."

He said that some sides needed to realise that "there's nary subject solution" to the struggle and it tin lone beryllium resolved done "diplomatic means".

It comes arsenic Donald Trump steps up unit connected Zelensky to hold to a ceasefire with Moscow, without immoderate promises of US information guarantees.

The talks people the archetypal authoritative gathering since Zelensky's sojourn to the White House descended into acrimony past month.

Following the meeting, the US paused subject assistance and quality sharing for Kyiv successful an evident bid to get Zelensky to the negotiating table.

Rubio said that helium hoped the intermission successful assistance could beryllium "resolved" but that the negotiations connected Tuesday "would beryllium cardinal to that".

The suspension "came astir due to the fact that we felt that they [Ukraine] were not committed to immoderate benignant of bid process", helium said, and "if that changes, evidently our posture tin change".

"The President is going to usage immoderate tools helium has astatine his disposal to effort to get some sides to that array truthful this warfare volition end," helium added.

Earlier connected Monday, Trump peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff said helium expected "substantial progress" during the negotiations.

Asked whether helium thought Zelensky would instrumentality to the US to motion a minerals woody aboriginal successful the week, helium told Fox News: "I americium truly hopeful. All the signs are very, precise positive."

Zelensky has antecedently said helium is consenting to motion a minerals woody with the US, which would found a associated money from the merchantability of Ukrainian minerals.

Witkoff said that among the issues to beryllium discussed successful Saudi Arabia were information protocols for the Ukrainians and territorial issues.

He said the US medication had ne'er unopen disconnected quality sharing for thing antiaircraft that Ukraine needed, portion connected Sunday Trump told Fox News that helium had "just about" lifted the quality sharing intermission connected Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer besides spoke to Trump up of the talks, Downing Street said.

"The Prime Minister said helium hoped determination would beryllium a affirmative result to the talks that would alteration US assistance and intelligence-sharing to beryllium restarted," the spokeswoman said.

Russia launched a full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022 and presently holds astir a 5th of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea which it annexed successful 2014.