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What the Jeddah ceasefire proposal meant on 12 March 2025
Summary
A retrospective on the diplomatic and military-aid developments that framed 12 March 2025, following talks in Saudi Arabia.
What was on the table for Ukraine on 12 March 2025? A day earlier, on 11 March, the United States and Ukraine had announced their intention to seek a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, after talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Jeddah talks brought together US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Andriy Yermak, Ukraine's presidential chief of staff. The announcement was an intention to pursue a truce with Russia, not an agreement already reached with Moscow.
European aid in the background
The diplomacy came after several European announcements of military support in the preceding days. On 6 March, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced US$3.8 billion in national military funding for Ukraine in 2026, including $700 million for Dutch drone manufacturing. Norwegian and Polish leaders also announced increases in their military aid.
France made its own commitments. On 6 March, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu said France would continue sharing military intelligence with Ukraine about the Russian invasion. On 9 March, he said France would use €195 million in interest from Russian assets to fund a military aid package for Ukraine.
Two tracks at once
Taken together, the reports from those days show two tracks running in parallel as of 12 March 2025. One was a US–Ukrainian push for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia. The other was a series of European pledges of money, drones and intelligence for Ukraine.
