[🇺🇦] Monitoring Russian and Ukraine War.

Ukraine set for crucial talks with US on ending war with Russia
AFP
Kyiv, Ukraine
Published: 10 Mar 2025, 09: 53


Trump and Zelenskyy have traded sharp rhetoric about their differences over the minerals deal and Russia’s war in UkraineDeutsche Welle file photo

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Monday, a day ahead of crucial talks between Ukrainian and US officials on ending the war with Russia.

Highly anticipated negotiations on Tuesday on resolving the three-year conflict will see US and Ukrainian officials meet for the first time since Zelensky's disastrous White House visit last month.

Zelensky said he would on Monday meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto leader, after which his team "will stay for a meeting on Tuesday with the American team".

At the talks in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has said Washington wants "to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well".

Zelensky has said Ukraine is "fully committed to constructive dialogue", but wants its interests to be "taken into account in the right way".

"We hope for results, both in terms of bringing peace closer and continuing support," he said in his evening address on Sunday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fly to Jeddah on Monday, the US State Department said. Mike Waltz, US President Donald Trump's national security adviser, has also confirmed his participation.

'In constant contact'

Zelensky said his negotiators will include Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Pavlo Palisa, a military commander and Yermak's deputy.

Kyiv is in "constant contact with the US team," Zelensky said.

Washington has currently suspended military aid to Ukraine as well as intelligence sharing and access to satellite imagery in a bid to force it to the table with Moscow, which launched its all-out invasion in February 2022 on orders from President Vladimir Putin.

Trump has renewed communication with Putin and criticised Zelensky, raising fears in Kyiv and among European allies that the US leader may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement favouring Russia.

On Friday, however, Trump said he was considering further sanctions on Russia for "pounding" Ukraine on the battlefield.

Ukraine's European allies last week held a summit with Zelensky and announced they would greatly increase defence spending.

Britain and France have proposed a truce for Ukraine, at sea and in the air, and a halt to Russia's bombardment of Ukraine's power facilities.

Ukrainian and British diplomats held talks in Kiyv at the weekend, Zelensky said.

The Saudi talks come after the public altercation between Zelensky and Trump in the White House led to the Ukrainian leaving without signing a minerals deal demanded by the US leader.

Zelensky later called the incident "regrettable" and said he was ready to work with Trump's "strong leadership".

He also expressed readiness to sign the deal on strategic mineral reserves.

Witkoff said Trump received a letter from Zelensky, calling it "a very positive first step" and "an apology".

Asked if Ukraine would sign the deal in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff said: "I think Zelensky has offered to sign it, and we'll see if he follows through."

'Not ready for peace'

Witkoff visited Moscow in February to secure the release of a jailed US teacher, and later said he spent a long time talking to Putin and "developing a relationship" with him.

Waltz was in the Oval Office during Zelensky's combative meeting with Trump and JD Vance.

He later told Fox News that Zelensky "is not ready to talk peace" but "time is not on his side".

In an interview with CNN, Waltz said that if Zelensky's "personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting... then I think we have a real issue".

Saudi mediator

Saudi Arabia has become a key host for US diplomacy with Russia and Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Rubio met in Riyadh last month, agreeing to resume dialogue and start talks on the Ukraine conflict.

Zelensky has visited Saudi Arabia several times since Russia's invasion in 2022 but postponed a trip last month, citing a lack of an invitation to the Russia-US talks.

In 2022, five prisoners held in Russian-controlled Ukraine were flown to Riyadh to be exchanged after negotiations involving the crown prince.

Putin said the crown prince also helped secure the release of jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, jailed by Russia for "espionage" last year.

A historic ally of the US, the oil-rich state became an international pariah following the assassination of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.

But Witkoff has said Trump's team has a "really good relationship with the Saudis".​

Ukraine to propose sky, sea truce at US talks in Saudi: official
Agence France-Presse . Kyiv, Ukraine 10 March, 2025, 23:08

Kyiv will propose an aerial and naval ceasefire with Russia during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia this week, a Ukrainian official said on Monday as president Volodymyr Zelensky was due to arrive in the kingdom.

The talks on Tuesday will be the first Ukraine-US meeting since a White House blow-up between Zelensky and US president Donald Trump that led to Washington halting military aid to Kyiv.

‘We do have a proposal for a ceasefire in the sky and ceasefire at sea,’ the official said.

‘Because these are the ceasefire options that are easy to install and to monitor and it’s possible to start with them.’

Ukrainian and US officials will meet in the Red Sea city of Jeddah to seek a way out of the conflict, more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Britain’s Financial Times newspaper, citing a source briefed on preparations for the talks, said Kyiv would propose a partial ceasefire hoping that Washington would resume military aid and intelligence-sharing.

Zelensky on Monday said Ukraine wants peace, insisting Russia was the sole reason that the war was carrying on.

‘Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason that the war is continuing is because of Russia,’ he wrote on social media.

Zelensky will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto Saudi leader, on Monday, before his officials sit down with the Americans on Tuesday.

He said Ukraine is ‘fully committed to constructive dialogue’, but wants its interests to be ‘taken into account in the right way’.

‘We hope for results, both in terms of bringing peace closer and continuing support,’ Zelensky said in his evening address on Sunday.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington wanted to use the talks ‘to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well’.

In Jeddah, the port city close to Islam’s holiest sites in Makkah and Medina, dozens of Ukrainian and Saudi flags flew on a main roundabout near the airport and on thoroughfares.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio will fly there on Monday, the US State Department said. Mike Waltz, US president Donald Trump’s national security adviser, has also confirmed his participation.

Zelensky said his negotiators will include foreign minister Andriy Sybiga and defence minister Rustem Umerov, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Pavlo Palisa, a military commander and Yermak’s deputy.

Washington has suspended military aid to Ukraine as well as intelligence-sharing and access to satellite imagery in a bid to force it to the table with Moscow, which launched its invasion in February 2022 on orders from president Vladimir Putin.

Russia could enjoy a ‘significant advantage’ against Ukrainian troops if the US sustains its pause on sharing intelligence, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.

‘The main thing is how long it will last. If it lasts a long time, it will give the Russians a significant advantage,’ the source said.

Trump has renewed communications with Putin and criticised Zelensky, raising fears in Kyiv and among European allies that the US leader may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement favouring Russia.

On Friday, however, Trump said he was considering further sanctions on Russia for ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield.

Ukraine’s European allies last week held a summit with Zelensky and announced they would greatly increase defence spending.

British prime minister Keir Starmer will host virtual talks on Saturday for the ‘coalition of the willing’ to build on last week’s summit, his office said.

The Saudi talks come after the White House clash saw Zelensky leave without signing the minerals deal demanded by Trump.

Zelensky later called the incident ‘regrettable’ and said he was ready to work with Trump’s ‘strong leadership’. He also expressed readiness to sign the deal.

Witkoff said Trump received a letter from Zelensky, calling it ‘a very positive first step’ and ‘an apology’.

Asked if Ukraine would sign the deal in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff said: ‘I think Zelensky has offered to sign it, and we’ll see if he follows through.’

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Rubio met in Riyadh last month, agreeing to resume dialogue and start talks on the Ukraine conflict.

Zelensky has visited Saudi Arabia several times since Russia’s invasion in 2022 but postponed a trip last month, saying he was not invited to the Russia-US talks.​

Ukraine, US discuss partial truce as drones hit Russia
Published: 11 Mar 2025, 22: 56



US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd L), US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (L), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (3rd R), Ukrainian Head of Presidential Office Andriy Yermak (2nd R), and Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerovto (R) hold a meeting in Jeddah in the presence of Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (3L) and National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban (C) on 11 March 2025. AFP

Ukraine said talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia were progressing "constructively" on Tuesday, with a partial ceasefire with Russia on the table hours after Kyiv conducted its largest drone attack on Moscow in three years of war.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga attended the meeting in Jeddah -- which Russia was not participating in -- as President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Ukraine to end the war that began with Russia's 2022 invasion.

The talks follow President Volodymyr Zelensky's public dressing-down at the White House, after which the United States cut off military aid, intelligence sharing and access to satellite imagery.

Ukraine is hoping the offer of a partial ceasefire in the sky and at sea will persuade Washington to restore the assistance.

"We are ready to do everything to achieve peace," Ukrainian presidency chief of staff Andriy Yermak told reporters as he entered Tuesday's meeting at a luxury hotel.

A Ukrainian official, who requested anonymity, later told AFP the talks were "going OK, a lot of questions have been discussed".

Kyiv said the "largest drone attack in history", in which hundreds of drones slammed into Moscow and other areas overnight, was intended to push Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to the aerial and naval ceasefire.

"This is an additional signal to Putin that he should also be interested in a ceasefire in the air," said Andriy Kovalenko, a national security council official responsible for countering disinformation.

Three people were killed in the attack, which both sides said was the biggest so far on Moscow. Russia's army said it intercepted 337 drones around the country.

Minerals deal

Zelensky, who met Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler in Jeddah on Monday, left the White House late last month without signing an agreement pushed by Trump that would give the US control over Ukrainian mineral resources.

Zelensky has said he is still willing to sign, although Rubio said it would not be the focus of Tuesday's meeting.

Rubio, who is accompanied by national security advisor Mike Waltz, said the aid suspension was "something I hope we can resolve" in the talks.

"Hopefully, we'll have a good meeting and good news to report," Rubio said.

Rubio said the United States had not cut off intelligence for defensive operations.

"The meeting with the US team started very constructively, we continue our work," Yermak said on social media Tuesday.

Asked whether the overnight drone attack could derail peace talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said: "There are no (peace) negotiations yet, so there is nothing to disrupt here."

He also declined earlier to comment on Russia's stance on the proposed partial ceasefire.

"It is absolutely impossible to talk about positions yet," he said.

"The Americans will find out only today, as they themselves say, from Ukraine to what extent Ukraine is ready for peace."

For its part, Russia has escalated strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, and said it had retaken 12 settlements in its Kursk region that Ukraine had captured in a bid for bargaining leverage.

Rubio seeks 'concessions'

In the infamous White House meeting last month, Zelensky refused to bite his tongue in the face of criticism from Vice President JD Vance, with the Ukrainian leader questioning why his country should trust promises from Russia.

He has since written a repentant letter to Trump.

Faced with Washington's pressure, Ukraine will lay out its support for a limited ceasefire in the sky and at sea, a Ukrainian official told AFP on Monday.

Rubio signalled that the Trump administration would likely be pleased by such a proposal.

"I'm not saying that alone is enough, but it's the kind of concession you would need to see in order to end the conflict," he told reporters.

"You're not going to get a ceasefire and an end to this war unless both sides make concessions."

Rubio said he did not expect to be "drawing lines on a map" towards a final deal in the Jeddah meeting, but said he would bring ideas back to Russia.

Rubio and Waltz met last month with counterparts from Russia, also in Saudi Arabia, ending a freeze in high-level contacts imposed by former president Joe Biden after Russia defied Western warnings and launched its invasion.

Trump last week also threatened further sanctions against Russia to force it to the table as it carried out strikes on Ukraine.

But Trump's abrupt shift in US policy -- including suggesting Ukraine was to blame for the war, and recently siding with Russia at the UN -- has stunned many allies.

Rubio said Monday that the United States would also object to "antagonistic" language on Russia at an upcoming gathering of Group of Seven foreign ministers.​

Cautious Russia awaits details from US on Ukraine ceasefire plan
REUTERS
Published :
Mar 12, 2025 22:07
Updated :
Mar 12, 2025 22:07


Members of the National Police Special Purpose Battalion of Zaporizhzhia region fire a D-30 howitzer towards Russian troops on a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine March 7, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Stringer/Files

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was awaiting details from Washington about a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, while senior Moscow sources said a deal would have to take account of Russia's advances and address its concerns.

After Russian forces made gains in 2024, US President Donald Trump reversed US policy on the war, launching bilateral talks with Moscow and suspending military assistance to Ukraine, demanding that it take steps to end the conflict.

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The United States agreed on Tuesday to resume weapons supplies and intelligence sharing after Kyiv said at talks in Saudi Arabia that it was ready to support a ceasefire proposal.

The Kremlin said it was carefully studying the results of the meeting and would await details from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested a reporter was getting "a little ahead" of himself by asking if Russia intended to tie a ceasefire proposal to the lifting of international sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.

"Rubio and Waltz said that they would pass on detailed information to us through various channels about the essence of the conversation that took place in Jeddah. First, we must receive this information," Peskov said.

Rubio said the United States was hoping for a positive response, and that if the answer was "no" then it would tell Washington a lot about the Kremlin's true intentions.

He said there would be contacts with Moscow on Wednesday, that Europe would have to be involved in any security guarantee for Ukraine, and that the sanctions Europe has imposed would also be on the table.

Asked whether Russia could accept the ceasefire unconditionally, Rubio said: "That's what we want to know - whether they're prepared to do it unconditionally."

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed this week's meeting in Saudi Arabia between US and Ukrainian officials as constructive, and said a potential 30-day ceasefire with Russia could be used to draft a broader peace deal.

UKRAINE SET TO LOSE FOOTHOLD IN RUSSIA'S KURSK REGION

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 has left hundreds of thousands of dead and injured, displaced millions of people, reduced towns to rubble and triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West in six decades.

Ukrainian troops appeared on the point of losing their hard-won foothold inside Russia's Kursk region on Wednesday as Moscow claimed further advances there and military bloggers on both sides said Kyiv's forces were withdrawing.

Russian media group Agentstvo, which analysed Ukrainian open-source maps, said that Ukraine controlled just 150 square kilometres in Kursk now. A Ukrainian source said last year it had controlled 1,376 square kilometres of territory in Kursk.

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that he is ready to talk about an end to the war and Trump says he thinks Putin is serious, though other Western leaders disagree.

Trump said on Tuesday that he hoped Russia would agree to a ceasefire and that he would talk to Putin this week.

Reuters reported in November that Putin was ready to negotiate a deal with Trump, but would refuse to make major territorial concessions and would insist Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO.

A senior Russian source told Reuters that Putin would find it hard to agree to the ceasefire idea without hashing out terms and getting some sort of guarantees.

"Putin has a strong position because Russia is advancing," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters.

Without guarantees alongside a ceasefire, Russia's position could swiftly become weaker and that Russia could then be blamed by the West for failing to end the war, they added.

"So yes, we are in favour of a truce with both hands, but we need at least framework guarantees and at least from the United States."

Another senior Russian source said the ceasefire proposal looked, from Moscow's perspective, to be a trap because Putin would find it hard to halt the war without concrete guarantees or pledges.

A third Russian source said the most important development was that the U.S. had renewed military aid to, and intelligence sharing with, Ukraine, merely decorating that move with a ceasefire proposal.

RUSSIA WANTS ITS ADVANCES TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT

Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, said on Telegram that Russia's advances in Ukraine must be taken into account.

"Real agreements are still being written there, at the front. Which they should understand in Washington, too," he said.

Putin has repeatedly said a short-term truce is not the way to end the war.

"We don't need a truce, we need a long-term peace secured by guarantees for the Russian Federation and its citizens," he said in December. "It is a difficult question how to ensure these guarantees."

In June, he set out his terms for peace: Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of four Ukrainian regions claimed and mostly controlled by Russia, which holds just under a fifth of Ukraine.

Ukraine says the regions have been annexed illegally and that it will never recognise Russian sovereignty over them.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a Russia-friendly president was toppled in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces then fighting Ukraine's armed forces in the east.​