March 12 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble pulled back from

a more than six-month high against the dollar on Wednesday after

Ukraine said it was ready to support Washington's 30-day

ceasefire proposal.

After more than eight hours of talks with Ukrainian

officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State

Marco Rubio said the U.S. would now take the offer to Russia,

and the ball was in Moscow's court.

By 0828 GMT, the rouble was down 0.9% at 86.40 to the

dollar in over-the-counter market trade. In the previous

session, it had reached 85.1205 - its strongest level since

August 7, 2024.

Against the Chinese yuan, the most traded foreign currency

in Russia, the rouble was down 0.3% to 11.89.

The rouble is up against the dollar this year, mostly thanks

to expectations of improved relations between Moscow and

Washington.

"The Russian currency needs positive geopolitical news to

continue its growth and this may be difficult in the near

future," Alor Broker analyst Alexei Antonov said.

"Market sentiment is determined by the news agenda, linked

to the peace negotiations," Promsvyazbank analyst Denis Popov

said. High uncertainty will remain until Moscow-Washington

contacts take place, he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he might speak with

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week and that he hoped a

lasting ceasefire would be negotiated in the coming days, while

contacts at a lower level could also take place in the coming

days.

Brent crude oil LCOc1, a global benchmark for Russia's main

export, was up 0.6% at $69.99 a barrel.