President Donald Trump took his first tentative step on Tuesday toward putting pressure on Russia to negotiate an ending to its war on Ukraine. The president did so via Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who secured Ukraine’s agreement to a 30-day ceasefire. Following talks in Saudi Arabia, Rubio said, “The ball is now in Russia’s court.”

This is a small but marked change from what we’ve seen over the past few weeks. After all, Trump’s strategy for ending the war has thus far centered on his outsize pressure against Ukraine. The embattled country has seen the suspension of U.S. arms supplies, financial support, and intelligence sharing. It has seen the president unjustly blame it and shamefully side with Russia concerning the undeniable fact that Russia started the war in February 2022. The Trump administration has even reduced U.S. defenses against Russia in a delusional belief that doing so will invite President Vladimir Putin’s reciprocity. In response to Tuesday’s agreement, Trump has restored arms supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.