Dizzying turnaround in US-Ukraine relations leaves all eyes on Russia

Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor Tue 11 Mar 2025 15.45 EDT1/2(take everything the Guardian says with a salt shaker of salt)

Putin may well stick to previous demands over Ukrainian elections and a rejection of European peacekeeping forces (Wait a minute, no one brought up Ukraine elections, and Trump and the US is against Peacekeeping forces, they already start out with misinformation.)

Suddenly the ball is in Russia’s court. The flow of US intelligence and military aid to Ukraine is to resume – and the Kremlin is being asked to agree to a 30-day ceasefire that Kyiv has already told the Americans it will sign up to.

It is a dizzying turnaround from the Oval Office row between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump and the apparent abandonment of the White House’s strategy to simply pressurise Ukraine into agreeing to a peace deal. Now, for the first time, Russia is being asked to make a commitment, though it is unclear what will follow if it does sign up.

Announcing the peace proposal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said that he hoped Russia would accept a peace agreement “so we can get to the second phase of this, which is real negotiations”. That may leave plenty of room for interpretation. Russia has also been pushing for a ceasefire, though the Kremlin had wanted that to be followed by elections in Ukraine, before any full negotiation about territory and Kyiv’s future security.

Ukraine, meanwhile, will want strong security guarantees to avoid a resumption of the war, involving European peacekeepers on the ground, which Russia has so far said it is against. An open question, perhaps, is whether peacekeepers could enter Ukraine during a ceasefire period, but this is speculative.

Until Tuesday’s discussions between US and Ukrainian delegations bore fruit, the battlefield dynamics did not appear to favour a ceasefire. Ukraine’s decision to launch a drone attack into Russia on Monday night was a clear demonstration that its military capacity had not yet been significantly dented by the pause in supply of US military intelligence. It was also an aggressive effort to put pressure on Moscow to agree a peace. (That’s bullshit again, they attacked to try to get the talks off track, or trigger a Russia retaliation, where does this guy get his info that he can assume to know why Ukraine killed 3 and hurt 20 people in Russia?)

“Ball is in Russia's court', says Rubio after Ukraine accepts 30-day ceasefire.

Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine had attacked with 337 drones, 91 of which were aimed at Moscow and the surrounding region. Three people were reported to have been killed, all four of the Russian capital’s airports had to be closed, and local air defences were not entirely effective in repelling the assault.

A handful of residential buildings were visibly damaged, though not too seriously. Moscow’s regional governor said that two people had been killed at a car park near a meat processing plant in Domodedovo, 5 miles from an airport. Fragments of a drone hit the ground, setting fire to cars shortly after 5am, Andrei Vorobyov wrote on his Telegram channel. Later, it was reported that a third man had died.

Striking at civilian targets is never attractive, though the images were not dissimilar to those of Ukrainian cities hit nightly by Russian bombing over the past three years. Russia has also been increasing the scale of its drone attacks recently – on Monday it launched 126 Shahed drones, as well as other, decoy drones, into Ukraine, alongside a ballistic missile.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/11/dizzying-turnaround-in-us-ukraine-relations-leaves-all-eyes-on-russia

>>22743594

2/2

Fighting on the frontline has favoured Russia for some time, but not dramatically or decisively so. On Thursday last week, a day after the US confirmed its decision to halt the flow of intelligence, Russia launched an effort, with the help of North Korean troops, to recapture the remainder of the Kursk area held by Ukraine.

That has forced the defenders back by between 4 and 8 miles (6.5km and 13km) and into the outskirts of Sudhza, a village that Ukraine has occupied since August. But its success may well be a function of a concerted attack, rather than a beginnings of a rout caused by the temporary absence of targeting data. That means Russian progress in the Kursk sector, for example, is very likely to continue if no ceasefire is agreed.

Nevertheless, the diplomatic momentum is suddenly with Ukraine, though with the mercurial Donald Trump involved, it is unclear for how long. (casting doubt Guardian)

Around $1bn (£772m) of US military aid is now potentially unblocked, while key functions for totemic weapons such as F-16s are presumably being restored – and the Kremlin’s immediate hopes of grinding down Kyiv on the frontline are set back. (The diplomatic mission is on the Russian’s side, they met long in advance than with Ukrainians were invited in, this guy just assumes a lot of things.)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/11/dizzying-turnaround-in-us-ukraine-relations-leaves-all-eyes-on-russia

PS: look at next Post on how the Guardian really feels about Trump.

>>22743611

This is how the Guardian tries to raise funds to smear Trump:

Why you can rely on the Guardian not to bow to Trump – or anyone

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask whether you could support the Guardian’s journalism as we face the unprecedented challenges of covering the second Trump administration.

As Trump himself observed: “The first term, everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”

He’s not entirely wrong. All around us, media organizations have begun to capitulate.

First, two news outlets pulled election endorsements at the behest of their billionaire owners. Next,prominent reporters bent the knee at Mar-a-Lago. And then a major network – ABC News– rolled over in response to Trump’s legal challenges and agreed to a $16m million settlement in his favor.

The Guardian is clear: we have no interest in being Donald Trump’s – or any politician’s – friend. Our allegiance as independent journalists is not to those in power but to the public. Whatever happens in the coming months and years, you can rely on the Guardian never to bow down to power, nor back down from truth.

(That statement was a lot worse in January 2025, they said they would oppose him every step of the way. Maybe if they started telling the truth about Trump, they wouldn’t have to fund raise from the public, when the ==UK Government really pays for it, by demanding it from the citizens. When the Guardian stops being so arrogant and derogatory, maybe they will have more readers, but they will never learn, they never do.)

Guardian: Hours and minutes of reports and statements from the Team

1/2

2h ago19.40 GMT: Starmer 'warmly' welcomes agreement, 'congratulates' Zelenskyy and Trump for 'remarkable breakthrough': The UK prime minister Keir Starmer said he “warmly” welcomes the agreement between Ukrainian and US officials after talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

A statement from Starmer reads: (Blah, blah, blah)

I warmly welcome the agreement today in Jeddah and congratulate President Trump and President Zelenskyy for this remarkable breakthrough. 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.

H added that he will be convening virtual meeting of countries ready to support a ceasefire on Saturday “to discuss next steps”, adding: We are ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom.

2h ago19.33 GMT:EU leaders welcome proposal for Ukraine ceasefire: European Council president António Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen have issued a joint statement welcoming the news from Jeddah on the US-Ukraine talks. “This is a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” they said. “The ball is now in Russia’s court. The EU is ready to play its full part, together with its partners, in the upcoming peace negotiations. (They don’t congratulate Trump or his team of course.)

2h ago19.20 GMT: Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said Europe “stands ready to help reach a just and lasting peace” after the joint US-Ukraine announcement that Kyiv is ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire with Russia.

Posting to X, Tusk wrote:It seems like the Americans and Ukrainians have taken an important step towards peace. And Europe stands ready to help reach a just and lasting peace. (Stop using that stupid statement that Zelensky made up, Peace is Peace.)

2h ago19.07 GMT: We reported earlier that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv is ready to accept as US proposal for a “30-day full interim ceasefire”. Zelenskyy said he received a report from the Ukrainian delegation on the meeting with US officials in Saudi Arabia. “ The discussion lasted most of the day and was good and constructive,” he said. “Our teams were able to discuss many important details.” Here’s Zelenskyy’s full video statement, posted to X:

2h ago18.57 GMT

3h ago18.45 GMT: Head of the Ukrainian presidential office Andriy Yermak, who was a member of the Ukrainian delegation in the Saudi Arabia talks, has also issued a statement after the meeting. “Protecting Ukraine’s interests is the most important thing for us,” Yermark wrote on X. A just peace is key for us. We want a lasting peace. Thank you for the constructive meeting. (another slight)

3h ago18.41 GMT: 'Ukraine is ready for peace': Zelenskyy accepts 30-day ceasefire proposal: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a statement following a meeting between senior US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah. Zelenskyy says the Ukrainian delegation's proposal consisted of three issues: “silence in the sky” and at sea, as well as “real measures to establish trust”, including the release of prisoners. He says: The American side understands our arguments, accepts our proposals.I want to thank President Trumpfor the constructiveness of our teams’ conversation. Zelenskyy says the US proposed to establish acomplete ceasefire for 30 days in the Black Sea and along the entire front line. Ukraine accepts this proposal. We consider it positive, and we are ready to take such a step.

He says the US “must convince” Russia to agree to the proposal,noting that an “important element” of the meeting today was “America’s readiness to resume defence assistance to Ukraine” (I hope to God this is not true). Zelenskyy adds: Ukraine is ready for peace. Russia must show its readiness to end the war or continue the war. It is time for the full truth.

Share

3h ago18.33 GMT:'This is not Mean Girls'–, says Rubio on Zelenskyy-Trump relations: Asked if the relationship between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump is “back on track”, US secretary of state Marco Rubio says: “What’s back on track here is peace.” He adds: This is serious stuff==. This is not Mean Girls, this is not some episode of some television show. This is very serious.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/mar/11/ukraine-russia-us-peace-talks-moscow-war-latest-live-news-europe

>>22743762

2/2

3h ago18.30 GMT: US secretary of state Marco Rubio saysDonald Trump “wanted this war to end yesterday” and that he hopes that Russia will accept the ceasefire deal “as soon as possible” .“Our hope is that the Russians will answer yes as quickly as possible, so we can get to the second phase of this, which is real negotiations,” he says. Rubio says the subject of a US-Ukraine minerals deal “was not the subject of talks today”.

3h ago14.24 EDT: US secretary of state Marco Rubio is askedif there is a deadline for Russians to respond to the 30-day interim ceasefire proposal. “We’re going to take the offer to them,” Rubio replies. “We’re going to tell them – this is what’s on the table”. “Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking, and now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no,” he said, adding:I hope they’re going to say yes. If they do, then I think we’ve made great progress. If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here. Rubio described the offer to the Russians as an “offer to stop the shooting”.

3h ago14.20 EDT: 'Ball is now in Russia's court', says Rubio: US national security adviser Mike Waltz and US secretary of state Marco Rubio are speaking to reporters following meetings with senior Ukrainian officials in Jeddah.

Ukraine and the US have taken a “positive step” during talks today, Rubio says, adding that the US will now “take this offer” to the Russians, adding that “the ball is in their court”. Waltz says the Ukrainian delegation made “very clear” on Tuesday that they “share President Trump’s vision for peace”. Ukraine “made concrete steps and proposals” including accepting Washington’s proposal for a full ceasefire, he says. Waltz says he will speak to his Russian counterpart “in the coming days” and that Rubio will be with G7 foreign ministers in the next couple of days. As a result of this positive step forward, the president has decided to lift a pause on aid and on our security assistance to Ukraine.

3h ago14.12 EDT:US and Ukraine agree to conclude minerals deal 'as soon as possible': The presidents of Ukraine and the US have agreed to “conclude as soon as possible” a comprehensive agreement for “developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine’s economy, offset the cost of American assistance, and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security,” according to a joint statement by the US and Ukrainian delegations. (NO, please don’t do this PDJT, NO!)

3h ago14.11 EDT: Ukraine agrees to accept 'immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire': Ukraine has agreed to accept a US proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire and to take steps toward restoring a durable peace after Russia’s invasion, according to a joint statement by US and Ukrainian delegations meeting in Jeddah.

Kyiv and Washington “took important steps toward restoring durable peace for Ukraine” on Tuesday, the statement reads.

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

The US will “immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine,” it says.

Both delegations agreed to immediately “begin negotiations toward an enduring peacethat provides for Ukraine’s long-term security”, it says. The US committed to discussing these proposals with representatives from Russia,while the Ukrainian delegation reiterated that European partners shall be involved in the peace process, it says.

Updated at 14.42 EDT

3h ago14.06 EDT: US to immediately lift suspension on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine. The US state department has announced Washington will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine. A statement by the state department, carried by Reuters, comes after a lengthy meeting between senior US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia today.

Updated at 14.07 EDT

3h ago13.54 EDT: US-Ukraine meeting 'positive' and 'productive', says White House: The White House has described a meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia today as “positive” and “productive”.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that a full readout of the meeting will be provided soon, adding: The news we’ve received from that meeting throughout the day is positive. This meeting has been productive.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/mar/11/ukraine-russia-us-peace-talks-moscow-war-latest-live-news-europe

11 Mar, 2025 15:18

Denmark deepens EU divide on troops in Ukraine

Russia has repeatedly warned that Western soldiers in the country would be considered a legitimate target

Denmark is prepared to send troops to Ukraine as part of a Western European mission if necessary, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has said.

EU members Germany, Italy, and Hungary, have ruled out committing troopsto any potential peacekeeping mission. Others such as France and Spain have indicated the possibility of deploying a force to Ukraine.

Russia has maintained that only a UN mandate could justify the presence of Western forces in Ukrain, and has warned that any foreign troops deployed without Moscow’s authorization would be considered legitimate targets.

“If it comes to the point where a European presence is needed for a ceasefire or peace agreement to be reached,then Denmark is in principle prepared for that,” Rasmussen said in an interview with DR radio on Monday.

He also claimed that afinal decision would depend on whether the US agreesto support such a contingent. “That is also why we have not announced any contribution today, but have said that Denmark is prepared in principle to participate if the conditions are right,” the foreign minister said.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen recently made similar remarks, stating that while Danish troops in Ukraine cannot be ruled out, discussions are still at an early stage.

Last month, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also urged the US to take a more active role in Ukraine, calling for American troops to be deployed to the country.Previously, she argued that peace in Ukraine could be “more dangerous” than if the conflict were to continue, citing an alleged threat that Russia could attack an EU country in the future. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed such claims as “nonsense.” (Why do they have women in making decisions on war, and do they believe their own propaganda?)

US President Donald Trump has ruled out sending American troops to Ukraineand has refused to commit to backing an EU or British military presence in the country as part of a negotiated settlement of the conflict.

Russian officials have consistently spoken out against any sort of Western troop deployment to Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also suggested that such proposals are aimed at escalating the conflict. He has specifically accused France and the UK, who have been the most vocal proponents of a foreign peacekeeping force in Ukraine, of trying to fuel tensions in the country and trying to stop attempts to end the hostilities.

https://www.rt.com/russia/614039-denmark-ukraine-troop-deployment/

>>22743762

Question Anons: Since Ukraine promises and lies all the time, break their commitments, steal the money and continue to get away with lying and propaganda, including killing American Citizens,…

can this whole 30 day ceasefire be a trap because Ukraine will break it and blame it on Russia?

Russia is determined and have opposed the ceasefire, because they've broken it 2-3 times already. Why would they agree to that? (unless there is a plan in the background)

What is built into the agreement, to force Kiev to obey?

Or is this a way to get Zelensky out of the "fake presidency if they violate it?If he's out Yermak needs to be out, he's actually worse than Zelensky.

All of this seems like it's not that great for Russia, but I believe Trump and the US worked much easier with the Russians in SA, so there has got to be some punishment is they don't stick to the ceasefire.

I know they are cheering the ceasefire, but I don't get the feeling it's all that cheerful, there has to have tests within the agreement and punishments for breaking it.

Rubio repeating this about HOW SERIOUS this is,sounds dangerous in a way, what do you think?

Rugio adds:This is serious stuff. This is not Mean Girls, this is not some episode of some television show.This is very serious.

>>22743435

please don't I already have a 100s of passwords for my business, keep it open and reveal the truth to the world. And show them what idiots show up sometimes. Thank you Jim

>>22743465

Why doesn't Massie try to get a sit down with Trump, he can tell him his view, which is the view of many on Johnson and his bullshit lying on the these bills.

Johnson is responsible, and NO I don't think Johnson a good, honorable or holy guy, he's just like the rest.