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Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Vladimir Putin, News, World News
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Vladimir Putin, News, World News
Vladimir Putin has ignored America's calls for a ceasefire with Ukraine.
Yesterday, US and Ukrainian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss both their intentions of ending the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
The meeting ended well and the two parities released a joint statement afterwards.
In the announcement, it was revealed that Ukraine was ready to enforce an immediate 30-day ceasefire 'which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties'.
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Meanwhile, the US agreed to lift its pause on military aid to the worn-torn country, which Donald Trump stopped after his historic (and disastrous) meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month.
Part of the joint statement read: "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 United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine."
Following the meeting drawing to successful end yesterday, the US pleaded with Russia to sign the ceasefire.
"Hopefully we'll take this offer now to the Russians and we hope that they'll say yes, they'll say yes to peace," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a news conference.
"The ball is now in their court, but again the president's objective here number one above everything else he wants the war to end, and I think today Ukraine has taken a concrete step in that regard. We hope the Russians will reciprocate."
Echoing similar sentiments, Trump said that it 'takes two to tango'.
"I hope to have a total ceasefire in the coming days," the 78-year-old continued.
However, instead of signing the deal, Vladimir Putin has proceeded to order a drone strike on Ukraine.
Last night, drone strikes took place in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine and are thought to have continued through the night, says Mail Online.
A 47-year-old woman is reported to have died in the attacks.
Russia's attacks on its neighboring country comes after Ukraine ordered its largest recorded drone attack on Russia, which took place shortly before yesterday's peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
BBC News reported that three men died in the attack and that 18 people were injured.
According to the Russian defence ministry, 337 drones were intercepted over Russia and 91 of them were shot down over the Moscow region.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin was 'carefully studying' statements made by Ukraine and the US following the peace talks in Jeddah.
However, he added that the US has yet to make contact to put the 30-day ceasefire deal to them.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports a Kremlin source told them 'it is difficult for Putin to agree to this in its current form'.