Sharma Ji
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in duvpulmant hai, says gooble chachu
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Sharma Ji
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I wouldn't jump the gun but, bhai.. to much of a leap of faith waali baat.. k Iran will be able to handle the mighty USAF/USN etc
they just don't have enough shekels
they just don't have enough shekels
Lulldapull
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Long wave rhusshian radars like Nebo can see any stealth aircraft. F-35 totally visible to rhusshian and irani’s.
It’s just that they have a much smaller signature and the huge OTH arrays that Irans installed decades ago can unmask any stealth aircraft from hundreds of miles away. Irans Fajr OTH is extremely powerful and sees beyond 5000 kms. The Israelis destroyed one Irani OTH site in their last retaliation where three Irani operators were killed.
Lulldapull
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Russians have helped Iran in very specific and key areas such as electronic warfare, powerful OTH technology, long wave NEBO and Avtobaza hacking technologies to jam and commandeer intruding drones, spy satellites and co sharing of their glonas GPS for targeting requirements.
Once Iran gets the RD-180 rocket boosters and perhaps the high pressure sub reactors……it will be a full on technology coup by Iran.
These are very closely guarded technologies by Russia and have strategic implications if transferred to a country.
I believe Russia and Iran are keeping a lot of TOT under wraps due to their sensitive nature and global implications if revealed to the public.
Once Iran gets the RD-180 rocket boosters and perhaps the high pressure sub reactors……it will be a full on technology coup by Iran.
These are very closely guarded technologies by Russia and have strategic implications if transferred to a country.
I believe Russia and Iran are keeping a lot of TOT under wraps due to their sensitive nature and global implications if revealed to the public.
Lulldapull
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Irani OTH......Sepehr:
www.globalsecurity.org
Iran - Air Defense Radars
Iran's air defense radars are largely long-range, and by creating a variety of frequency bands, the country's integrated air defense capabilities will successfully pave the way for a variety of small and large targets in the area of the country's sky.
Sharma Ji
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Impressive, but speculation waali baat hai, capabilities of both F35 stealth wise, and radar ki detection wise..
Dekho kyta hota hai, TP 3 kabhi aayega bhi k nahi.. I'm not so sure.
Dekho kyta hota hai, TP 3 kabhi aayega bhi k nahi.. I'm not so sure.
Lulldapull
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These things allowed Iran to commandeer that RQ-170 Sentinel drone:
Lulldapull
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Iran's Air defense is in the top 3 on this planet........They have good home grown talent, lots of R&D and discrete help from Russia too.
Sharma Ji
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Wohi sab to dekhna hai in action, downed F 15 Ijraeli pilot in IRGC girafat.. zaldi zaldi lao ab TP3, bhot hui waiting !
Saif
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Ukraine set for crucial talks with US on ending war with Russia
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...
en.prothomalo.com
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".
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".
Saif
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Ukraine to propose sky, sea truce at US talks in Saudi: official
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...
www.newagebd.net
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.
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.
Saif
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Ukraine, US discuss partial truce as drones hit Russia
Faced with Washington's pressure, Ukraine will lay out its support for a limited ceasefire in the sky and at sea
en.prothomalo.com
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.
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.
Saif
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Cautious Russia awaits details from US on Ukraine ceasefire plan
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 T
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.
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.
The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.
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.
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Putin questions US-backed Ukraine ceasefire plan
The Russian president said he agreed in principle with US proposals to halt the fighting but said he wanted to address the “root causes of the conflict”
Putin questions US-backed Ukraine ceasefire plan
Says lots need to be discussed before a deal; Trump says Putin's statement ‘promising’ but ‘not complete’; Russia says it is on the verge of regaining Kursk region।
Photo: AFP
Vladimir Putin has said he has many questions about the proposed US-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine and appeared to set out a series of sweeping conditions that would need to be met before Russia would agree to such a truce.
Speaking at a press conference at the Kremlin alongside the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said that he agreed in principle with US proposals to halt the fighting but said he wanted to address the "root causes of the conflict".
"The idea [US ceasefire] itself is correct, and we certainly support it," Putin said.
But he suggested that Ukraine should neither rearm nor mobilise and that western military aid to Kyiv be halted during the 30-day ceasefire.
Donald Trump responded briefly before a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, saying that Putin had "made a very promising statement, but it was not complete".
The US president said he was "ready to talk to Putin".
"We will see if Russia agrees, and if not, it will be a very disappointing moment," he said. "I would like to see a ceasefire from Russia. We hope that Russia will do the right thing."
Putin claimed that Ukraine was seeking a ceasefire because of the battlefield situation, asserting that Russian forces were "advancing almost everywhere" and nearing full control of the Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise incursion last year.
"How will these 30 days of [ceasefire] be used? To continue forced mobilisation in Ukraine? To supply weapons to Ukraine? … These are legitimate questions," he said.
Ukraine has previously indicated it would continue its mobilisation efforts during the 30-day ceasefire.
"We need to discuss this with our American partners –perhaps a call with Donald Trump," Putin added, thanking the US president for his involvement in the peace negotiations.
By avoiding an outright rejection of Trump's ceasefire proposal, Putin appears to be balancing between not openly rebuffing Trump's push for peace while also imposing his own stringent demands – potentially prolonging negotiations.
The Russian president had travelled to the Kursk region the day before on a rare battlefield visit, where he spoke with Russian troops who were on the verge of expelling Ukrainian forces from the land it captured last year.
"What will happen in the Kursk region? Will an order be given for the troops stationed there to surrender?" Putin asked.
"How the situation along the frontline will be resolved remains unclear," he added.
Ukraine has not officially confirmed an organised retreat from the Kursk region but Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that "the military command is doing what it should do – saving the maximum number of lives of our soldiers".
"It's over. The only question now is managing the withdrawal with as few losses as possible," a source in Ukraine's military who recently left Kursk region said on Thursday.
But while Ukraine appears to be withdrawing from the Kursk region, Kyiv has largely stabilised the front in eastern Ukraine, where a Russian offensive has stalled in recent weeks.
Putin's remarks came hours after the jet of Trump's envoy, Steven Witkoff landed in Moscow, where the close Trump ally is expected to meet with the Russian leader to push for a ceasefire following Washington's talks with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
After talks with top US diplomats in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Ukraine said it was ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire and the United States said it was putting the proposal to Moscow.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov earlier in the day said he had informed US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, that Moscow views the proposed 30-day ceasefire as "nothing more than a short reprieve for Ukrainian forces".
Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said on Thursday that Moscow was ready to discuss a US-backed peace initiative "as early as today". But she also indicated that Russia saw little urgency in halting fighting, reiterating it would not accept Western peacekeepers in Ukraine as a security guarantee and that they would be targeted if deployed.
Ukraine has said it would need some kind of security guarantee in order to sign a lasting ceasefire deal.
Moscow's continued resistance to European peacekeeping forces – seen by Ukraine as the only viable alternative to Nato membership for guaranteeing its security – presents a major obstacle to a peace acceptable to Kyiv.
Observers believe Putin is determined to put forward a string of maximalist demands before agreeing to any ceasefire, which is likely to prolong negotiations.
Reuters and Bloomberg have reported that Russia, in discussions with the US, has presented a list of such demands to end the war in Ukraine and reset relations with Washington.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the media reports.
These demands could include the demilitarisation of Ukraine, an end to western military aid, and a commitment to keeping Kyiv out of Nato. Moscow may also push for a ban on foreign troop deployments in Ukraine and international recognition of Putin's claims to Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions Russia annexed in 2022.
Putin could also revisit some of his broader demands from 2021, which go beyond Ukraine, including a call for Nato to halt the deployment of weapons in member states that joined after 1997, when the alliance began expanding into former communist countries.
Many in Europe fear these conditions for peace could weaken the West's ability to increase its military presence and could allow Putin to expand his influence across the continent.
Moscow's confident rhetoric is reinforced by its recent battlefield gains. On Thursday, the Kremlin said its forces were in the final stages of expelling Ukraine's army from the Kursk region, where Kyiv had seized Russian territory last year in the hope of using it as leverage in peace negotiations.
The Russian military announced on Thursday it had recaptured Sudzha, the largest town Ukraine held in the region, while Kyiv has indicated that an organised withdrawal is underway.
Says lots need to be discussed before a deal; Trump says Putin's statement ‘promising’ but ‘not complete’; Russia says it is on the verge of regaining Kursk region।
Photo: AFP
Vladimir Putin has said he has many questions about the proposed US-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine and appeared to set out a series of sweeping conditions that would need to be met before Russia would agree to such a truce.
Speaking at a press conference at the Kremlin alongside the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said that he agreed in principle with US proposals to halt the fighting but said he wanted to address the "root causes of the conflict".
"The idea [US ceasefire] itself is correct, and we certainly support it," Putin said.
But he suggested that Ukraine should neither rearm nor mobilise and that western military aid to Kyiv be halted during the 30-day ceasefire.
Donald Trump responded briefly before a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, saying that Putin had "made a very promising statement, but it was not complete".
The US president said he was "ready to talk to Putin".
"We will see if Russia agrees, and if not, it will be a very disappointing moment," he said. "I would like to see a ceasefire from Russia. We hope that Russia will do the right thing."
Putin claimed that Ukraine was seeking a ceasefire because of the battlefield situation, asserting that Russian forces were "advancing almost everywhere" and nearing full control of the Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise incursion last year.
"How will these 30 days of [ceasefire] be used? To continue forced mobilisation in Ukraine? To supply weapons to Ukraine? … These are legitimate questions," he said.
Ukraine has previously indicated it would continue its mobilisation efforts during the 30-day ceasefire.
"We need to discuss this with our American partners –perhaps a call with Donald Trump," Putin added, thanking the US president for his involvement in the peace negotiations.
By avoiding an outright rejection of Trump's ceasefire proposal, Putin appears to be balancing between not openly rebuffing Trump's push for peace while also imposing his own stringent demands – potentially prolonging negotiations.
The Russian president had travelled to the Kursk region the day before on a rare battlefield visit, where he spoke with Russian troops who were on the verge of expelling Ukrainian forces from the land it captured last year.
"What will happen in the Kursk region? Will an order be given for the troops stationed there to surrender?" Putin asked.
"How the situation along the frontline will be resolved remains unclear," he added.
Ukraine has not officially confirmed an organised retreat from the Kursk region but Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that "the military command is doing what it should do – saving the maximum number of lives of our soldiers".
"It's over. The only question now is managing the withdrawal with as few losses as possible," a source in Ukraine's military who recently left Kursk region said on Thursday.
But while Ukraine appears to be withdrawing from the Kursk region, Kyiv has largely stabilised the front in eastern Ukraine, where a Russian offensive has stalled in recent weeks.
Putin's remarks came hours after the jet of Trump's envoy, Steven Witkoff landed in Moscow, where the close Trump ally is expected to meet with the Russian leader to push for a ceasefire following Washington's talks with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
After talks with top US diplomats in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Ukraine said it was ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire and the United States said it was putting the proposal to Moscow.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov earlier in the day said he had informed US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, that Moscow views the proposed 30-day ceasefire as "nothing more than a short reprieve for Ukrainian forces".
Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said on Thursday that Moscow was ready to discuss a US-backed peace initiative "as early as today". But she also indicated that Russia saw little urgency in halting fighting, reiterating it would not accept Western peacekeepers in Ukraine as a security guarantee and that they would be targeted if deployed.
Ukraine has said it would need some kind of security guarantee in order to sign a lasting ceasefire deal.
Moscow's continued resistance to European peacekeeping forces – seen by Ukraine as the only viable alternative to Nato membership for guaranteeing its security – presents a major obstacle to a peace acceptable to Kyiv.
Observers believe Putin is determined to put forward a string of maximalist demands before agreeing to any ceasefire, which is likely to prolong negotiations.
Reuters and Bloomberg have reported that Russia, in discussions with the US, has presented a list of such demands to end the war in Ukraine and reset relations with Washington.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the media reports.
These demands could include the demilitarisation of Ukraine, an end to western military aid, and a commitment to keeping Kyiv out of Nato. Moscow may also push for a ban on foreign troop deployments in Ukraine and international recognition of Putin's claims to Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions Russia annexed in 2022.
Putin could also revisit some of his broader demands from 2021, which go beyond Ukraine, including a call for Nato to halt the deployment of weapons in member states that joined after 1997, when the alliance began expanding into former communist countries.
Many in Europe fear these conditions for peace could weaken the West's ability to increase its military presence and could allow Putin to expand his influence across the continent.
Moscow's confident rhetoric is reinforced by its recent battlefield gains. On Thursday, the Kremlin said its forces were in the final stages of expelling Ukraine's army from the Kursk region, where Kyiv had seized Russian territory last year in the hope of using it as leverage in peace negotiations.
The Russian military announced on Thursday it had recaptured Sudzha, the largest town Ukraine held in the region, while Kyiv has indicated that an organised withdrawal is underway.
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US envoy in Moscow to present Ukraine truce plan
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Thursday to present Washington’s plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, a source said, as the Kremlin warned against any ‘hasty’ deal that would give Kyiv a respite from fighting.
www.newagebd.net
US envoy in Moscow to present Ukraine truce plan
Agence France-Presse . Moscow 13 March, 2025, 23:59
This grab taken from a handout footage released by the Russian defence ministry on Thursday, shows destructions in the town of Sudzha in the Kursk region. Russia said it had taken full control of Sudzha, a town in the Kursk region that fell to Ukrainian troops shortly after their shock offensive last August. Sudzha, home to around 5,000 people before the fighting, was the largest settlement Kyiv seized after it launched its cross-border assault into Russia last year. | AFP photo
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Thursday to present Washington’s plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, a source said, as the Kremlin warned against any ‘hasty’ deal that would give Kyiv a respite from fighting.
Ukraine agreed to the plan during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, as US president Donald Trump pushes for a speedy end to the more than three-year conflict.
But even before meeting Witkoff, an aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin said the document only took Ukraine’s position into account, and that Russia needed input as well.
‘It will be necessary to work on it, think and take into account our position,’ Yuri Ushakov told Russian state TV, saying Putin would probably give his verdict on the deal later.
Russia has been grinding forward on the battlefield for over a year, and claimed on Thursday to have driven Ukrainian forces from the town of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region.
Trump has expressed optimism that his team can secure a ceasefire, despite Moscow’s battlefield gains.
‘If we can get Russia to stop, then we have a full ceasefire. And I think it’ll never go back to war,’ Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said the fact Russia was yet to respond officially to the idea showed it did not want peace.
‘Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made,’ he said on social media.
‘This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible.’
Setting out its red lines ahead of the talks, Russia ruled out foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine and raised the possibility of relief from sanctions imposed on it.
Moscow wants any settlement to be long-term and to secure its interests, rather than a temporary deal that would give Ukraine a ‘breather’, Ushakov said.
‘That is what we are striving for. A peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country,’ he told a state TV reporter.
Ushakov called the 30-day ceasefire proposal a ‘hasty’ plan that ‘is not in favour of a long-term settlement’.
‘It would be nothing more than a temporary breather for the Ukrainian military,’ he said following a call with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
Russia has also ruled out accepting foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a ceasefire or long-term security guarantee for Kyiv.
That could go against an ask Ukraine has made of European allies to deploy military ‘contingents’ on its territory once the conflict ends to protect against future attacks from Russia.
‘It is absolutely unacceptable to us that army units of other states are stationed in Ukraine under any flag,’ Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a briefing.
‘Be it a foreign contingent and a military base all this would mean the involvement of these countries in a direct armed conflict with our country.’
Russia, meanwhile, claimed rapid advances in the Kursk region — where Kyiv launched a cross-border assault last August and has held territory since.
The Russian defence ministry said it had ‘liberated’ Sudzha along with two other settlements in the border region.
Sudzha, home to around 5,000 people before the fighting, was the largest settlement Kyiv seized after it launched its shock assault into Russia.
The Kursk region was one of Kyiv’s few bargaining chips in swapping land with Russia, which has occupied around a fifth of Ukraine since it took Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale assault in February 2022.
Ukraine now risks losing its grip on the border region entirely, ceding dozens of square kilometres in the past seven days, according to military bloggers.
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief hinted late Wednesday some of its troops were pulling back in the region.
Putin visited the region on Wednesday for the first time since Ukraine launched its incursion.
Dressed in battle fatigues, he expressed hope his army would ‘fully liberate’ areas under Kyiv’s control.
Moscow’s rapid advances in the region came after the US paused intelligence sharing and security support for Ukraine, although analysts and officials cautioned against making a direct link.
Washington said it had resumed its support for Kyiv ahead of the talks with Moscow.
Both Moscow and Kyiv kept up hostilities into Thursday.
Russia downed 77 Ukrainian drones overnight, its defence ministry said, while Ukraine’s air force said it downed dozens of drones fired at multiple regions.
Agence France-Presse . Moscow 13 March, 2025, 23:59
This grab taken from a handout footage released by the Russian defence ministry on Thursday, shows destructions in the town of Sudzha in the Kursk region. Russia said it had taken full control of Sudzha, a town in the Kursk region that fell to Ukrainian troops shortly after their shock offensive last August. Sudzha, home to around 5,000 people before the fighting, was the largest settlement Kyiv seized after it launched its cross-border assault into Russia last year. | AFP photo
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Thursday to present Washington’s plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, a source said, as the Kremlin warned against any ‘hasty’ deal that would give Kyiv a respite from fighting.
Ukraine agreed to the plan during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, as US president Donald Trump pushes for a speedy end to the more than three-year conflict.
But even before meeting Witkoff, an aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin said the document only took Ukraine’s position into account, and that Russia needed input as well.
‘It will be necessary to work on it, think and take into account our position,’ Yuri Ushakov told Russian state TV, saying Putin would probably give his verdict on the deal later.
Russia has been grinding forward on the battlefield for over a year, and claimed on Thursday to have driven Ukrainian forces from the town of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region.
Trump has expressed optimism that his team can secure a ceasefire, despite Moscow’s battlefield gains.
‘If we can get Russia to stop, then we have a full ceasefire. And I think it’ll never go back to war,’ Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said the fact Russia was yet to respond officially to the idea showed it did not want peace.
‘Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made,’ he said on social media.
‘This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible.’
Setting out its red lines ahead of the talks, Russia ruled out foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine and raised the possibility of relief from sanctions imposed on it.
Moscow wants any settlement to be long-term and to secure its interests, rather than a temporary deal that would give Ukraine a ‘breather’, Ushakov said.
‘That is what we are striving for. A peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country,’ he told a state TV reporter.
Ushakov called the 30-day ceasefire proposal a ‘hasty’ plan that ‘is not in favour of a long-term settlement’.
‘It would be nothing more than a temporary breather for the Ukrainian military,’ he said following a call with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
Russia has also ruled out accepting foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a ceasefire or long-term security guarantee for Kyiv.
That could go against an ask Ukraine has made of European allies to deploy military ‘contingents’ on its territory once the conflict ends to protect against future attacks from Russia.
‘It is absolutely unacceptable to us that army units of other states are stationed in Ukraine under any flag,’ Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a briefing.
‘Be it a foreign contingent and a military base all this would mean the involvement of these countries in a direct armed conflict with our country.’
Russia, meanwhile, claimed rapid advances in the Kursk region — where Kyiv launched a cross-border assault last August and has held territory since.
The Russian defence ministry said it had ‘liberated’ Sudzha along with two other settlements in the border region.
Sudzha, home to around 5,000 people before the fighting, was the largest settlement Kyiv seized after it launched its shock assault into Russia.
The Kursk region was one of Kyiv’s few bargaining chips in swapping land with Russia, which has occupied around a fifth of Ukraine since it took Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale assault in February 2022.
Ukraine now risks losing its grip on the border region entirely, ceding dozens of square kilometres in the past seven days, according to military bloggers.
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief hinted late Wednesday some of its troops were pulling back in the region.
Putin visited the region on Wednesday for the first time since Ukraine launched its incursion.
Dressed in battle fatigues, he expressed hope his army would ‘fully liberate’ areas under Kyiv’s control.
Moscow’s rapid advances in the region came after the US paused intelligence sharing and security support for Ukraine, although analysts and officials cautioned against making a direct link.
Washington said it had resumed its support for Kyiv ahead of the talks with Moscow.
Both Moscow and Kyiv kept up hostilities into Thursday.
Russia downed 77 Ukrainian drones overnight, its defence ministry said, while Ukraine’s air force said it downed dozens of drones fired at multiple regions.
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War in Ukraine: What is Putin's negotiation strategy?
Vladimir Putin was keen to get something off his chest right away. Before even responding to the proposal for a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine, the Russian president addressed "words of gratitude" to US President Donald Trump — "for paying so much attention to the Ukraine settlement," he...
en.prothomalo.com
War in Ukraine: What is Putin's negotiation strategy?
Deutsche Welle
Updated: 15 Mar 2025, 18: 33
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin was keen to get something off his chest right away. Before even responding to the proposal for a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine, the Russian president addressed "words of gratitude" to US President Donald Trump — "for paying so much attention to the Ukraine settlement," he said in Moscow on 13 March.
This was not a coincidence. "Putin wants Trump to believe that Putin is interested in a deal," commented Anton Barbashin, a political scientist and editor-in-chief of the analysis website Riddle Russia. Putin does not want to irritate Trump, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did. Instead, Barbashin explains, the Russian president "wants to push all the necessary buttons to get Trump to talk to him and strike a deal."
However, Putin's idea of what this deal should look like may be different to Trump's. The US president wants there to be an initial 30-day suspension of fighting between Ukraine and Russia. Putin indicated that he supported this, but added that there were "questions we need to discuss." What questions does he mean, and what do they reveal about how Russia plans to proceed?
Russia wants to expand the negotiations
Putin's objections, which he described as "questions," are in fact explicit demands. The Ukrainian soldiers still fighting on Russian territory in the Kursk region should surrender. Ukraine should not be allowed to mobilize any new soldiers during the ceasefire. And the West must stop delivering arms to Kyiv during this period.
According to Putin, the ceasefire should "lead to a long-term peace and eliminate the causes of the conflict." This vague phrasing is an attempt to steer the negotiations toward Moscow's long-term goals in Ukraine.
"Russia is aiming for a ceasefire that would lead directly to peace talks," said Anton Barbashin. Consequently, Moscow wants to secure several concessions upfront, including confirmation that Ukraine will never become part of NATO — and Barbashin says it wants this confirmation "from both NATO and Ukraine."
Furthermore, Putin's publicly stated war aims include a demand for Ukraine's complete withdrawal from the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, which are currently only partially occupied by Russian forces.
Would Ukraine agree?
Kremlin-aligned experts believe Putin's conditions might be acceptable to Trump. "The US may well agree to the demand for an arms embargo, because Trump doesn't want to spend any more American money on Ukraine," the Moscow political scientist Sergei Markov wrote on his Telegram channel. He went on to speculate that continued mobilization in Ukraine is so unpopular that stopping it could actually strengthen the Ukrainian government.
But the US is once again supplying weapons to Ukraine, after a brief pause. And mobilization is still the only way that Ukraine, the country under attack, can maintain its defense. It therefore seems unlikely that Ukraine will agree to these terms.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clashed with Donald Trump in the Oval Office at their meeting on 28 February.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clashed with Donald Trump in the Oval Office at their meeting on 28 February.
"Despite everything we're hearing from Washington, Ukraine does actually still hold a lot of trump cards," the security expert Dmitri Alperovitch told DW. Ukraine, he said, could choose to go on defending itself with European help, even without support from the US: "It would be much more difficult, but they do have that option."
Russia is playing for time, not scaring Trump
Many experts believe Putin is playing for time. Time his army needs to drive Ukrainian troops out of Russian territory in the Kursk region. And time to convince Trump — at a summit meeting, perhaps — of the need for a more comprehensive deal.
According to Barbashin, if Putin succeeds in pushing through his demands, "this would pave the way to a much broader discussion on European security architecture." Trump, whose skepticism toward NATO is no secret, might be prepared to engage in such a discussion — which would create a unique opportunity for Russia.
At the same time, it looks as if Trump's options for influencing Putin are limited. Putin boasts that Russia's economy, fueled primarily by military spending, is still largely functioning, despite Western sanctions.
Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin has commented: "Trump has few options to counter either a Russian rejection or protracted feigned compliance. The most effective method will be the carrot rather than the stick: the temptation of a major deal." And this would very much align with Putin's interests.
Deutsche Welle
Updated: 15 Mar 2025, 18: 33
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin was keen to get something off his chest right away. Before even responding to the proposal for a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine, the Russian president addressed "words of gratitude" to US President Donald Trump — "for paying so much attention to the Ukraine settlement," he said in Moscow on 13 March.
This was not a coincidence. "Putin wants Trump to believe that Putin is interested in a deal," commented Anton Barbashin, a political scientist and editor-in-chief of the analysis website Riddle Russia. Putin does not want to irritate Trump, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did. Instead, Barbashin explains, the Russian president "wants to push all the necessary buttons to get Trump to talk to him and strike a deal."
However, Putin's idea of what this deal should look like may be different to Trump's. The US president wants there to be an initial 30-day suspension of fighting between Ukraine and Russia. Putin indicated that he supported this, but added that there were "questions we need to discuss." What questions does he mean, and what do they reveal about how Russia plans to proceed?
Russia wants to expand the negotiations
Putin's objections, which he described as "questions," are in fact explicit demands. The Ukrainian soldiers still fighting on Russian territory in the Kursk region should surrender. Ukraine should not be allowed to mobilize any new soldiers during the ceasefire. And the West must stop delivering arms to Kyiv during this period.
According to Putin, the ceasefire should "lead to a long-term peace and eliminate the causes of the conflict." This vague phrasing is an attempt to steer the negotiations toward Moscow's long-term goals in Ukraine.
"Russia is aiming for a ceasefire that would lead directly to peace talks," said Anton Barbashin. Consequently, Moscow wants to secure several concessions upfront, including confirmation that Ukraine will never become part of NATO — and Barbashin says it wants this confirmation "from both NATO and Ukraine."
Furthermore, Putin's publicly stated war aims include a demand for Ukraine's complete withdrawal from the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, which are currently only partially occupied by Russian forces.
Would Ukraine agree?
Kremlin-aligned experts believe Putin's conditions might be acceptable to Trump. "The US may well agree to the demand for an arms embargo, because Trump doesn't want to spend any more American money on Ukraine," the Moscow political scientist Sergei Markov wrote on his Telegram channel. He went on to speculate that continued mobilization in Ukraine is so unpopular that stopping it could actually strengthen the Ukrainian government.
But the US is once again supplying weapons to Ukraine, after a brief pause. And mobilization is still the only way that Ukraine, the country under attack, can maintain its defense. It therefore seems unlikely that Ukraine will agree to these terms.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clashed with Donald Trump in the Oval Office at their meeting on 28 February.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clashed with Donald Trump in the Oval Office at their meeting on 28 February.
"Despite everything we're hearing from Washington, Ukraine does actually still hold a lot of trump cards," the security expert Dmitri Alperovitch told DW. Ukraine, he said, could choose to go on defending itself with European help, even without support from the US: "It would be much more difficult, but they do have that option."
Russia is playing for time, not scaring Trump
Many experts believe Putin is playing for time. Time his army needs to drive Ukrainian troops out of Russian territory in the Kursk region. And time to convince Trump — at a summit meeting, perhaps — of the need for a more comprehensive deal.
According to Barbashin, if Putin succeeds in pushing through his demands, "this would pave the way to a much broader discussion on European security architecture." Trump, whose skepticism toward NATO is no secret, might be prepared to engage in such a discussion — which would create a unique opportunity for Russia.
At the same time, it looks as if Trump's options for influencing Putin are limited. Putin boasts that Russia's economy, fueled primarily by military spending, is still largely functioning, despite Western sanctions.
Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin has commented: "Trump has few options to counter either a Russian rejection or protracted feigned compliance. The most effective method will be the carrot rather than the stick: the temptation of a major deal." And this would very much align with Putin's interests.
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Zelenskiy says Kyiv's troops not surrounded in Kursk, warns of new Russian troop build-up
Ukrainian troops are still fending off Russian and North Korean forces in Russia's Kursk region but face a potential new attack on Ukraine's northeast Sumy region, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday. Military analysts say Russia is close to ejecting Ukrainian forces from their months-o
Zelenskiy says Kyiv's troops not surrounded in Kursk, warns of new Russian troop build-up
REUTERS
Published :
Mar 15, 2025 19:31
Updated :
Mar 15, 2025 19:31
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kyiv, March 13, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Ukrainian troops are still fending off Russian and North Korean forces in Russia's Kursk region but face a potential new attack on Ukraine's northeast Sumy region, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.
Military analysts say Russia is close to ejecting Ukrainian forces from their months-old foothold in the western Russian region, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to warn that thousands were "completely surrounded".
In a statement on social media after being briefed by his top general, Zelenskiy said Kyiv's troops were not encircled in Kursk but that Moscow was accumulating forces nearby for a separate strike.
"This indicates an intention to attack our Sumy region," he said. "We are aware of this, and will counter it."
"I would like all (our) partners to understand exactly what Putin is planning, what he is preparing for, and what he will be ignoring."
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he supported in principle Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, but would fight on until several crucial conditions were worked out.
On Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a meeting of about 25 European leaders and other allies that they would need to increase pressure on Putin to accept a ceasefire.
"The build-up of Russian forces indicates that Moscow intends to keep ignoring diplomacy," Zelenskiy added. "It is clear that Russia is prolonging the war."
In his statement, he also said the battlefield situation near the strategic eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk had "stabilised", and that Ukraine had successfully used a new domestically-produced long-range missile in combat.
Kyiv is seeking to expand its domestic defence industry to wean itself off Western allies who have provided critical artillery, air-defence and long-range strike capabilities.
Ukraine's new "long Neptune" missile has a range of 1,000 kilometres (621 miles), Zelenskiy said.
REUTERS
Published :
Mar 15, 2025 19:31
Updated :
Mar 15, 2025 19:31
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kyiv, March 13, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Ukrainian troops are still fending off Russian and North Korean forces in Russia's Kursk region but face a potential new attack on Ukraine's northeast Sumy region, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.
Military analysts say Russia is close to ejecting Ukrainian forces from their months-old foothold in the western Russian region, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to warn that thousands were "completely surrounded".
In a statement on social media after being briefed by his top general, Zelenskiy said Kyiv's troops were not encircled in Kursk but that Moscow was accumulating forces nearby for a separate strike.
"This indicates an intention to attack our Sumy region," he said. "We are aware of this, and will counter it."
"I would like all (our) partners to understand exactly what Putin is planning, what he is preparing for, and what he will be ignoring."
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he supported in principle Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, but would fight on until several crucial conditions were worked out.
On Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a meeting of about 25 European leaders and other allies that they would need to increase pressure on Putin to accept a ceasefire.
"The build-up of Russian forces indicates that Moscow intends to keep ignoring diplomacy," Zelenskiy added. "It is clear that Russia is prolonging the war."
In his statement, he also said the battlefield situation near the strategic eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk had "stabilised", and that Ukraine had successfully used a new domestically-produced long-range missile in combat.
Kyiv is seeking to expand its domestic defence industry to wean itself off Western allies who have provided critical artillery, air-defence and long-range strike capabilities.
Ukraine's new "long Neptune" missile has a range of 1,000 kilometres (621 miles), Zelenskiy said.
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Putin must negotiate, says Starmer
British prime minister Keir Starmer on Saturday said Russian president Vladimir Putin would ‘sooner or later’ have to ‘come to the table’ as he opened a virtual gathering to drum up support for Ukraine.
www.newagebd.net
Putin must negotiate, says Starmer
Agence France-Presse . London, United Kingdom 15 March, 2025, 22:12
Russian president Vladimir Putin. | File photo
British prime minister Keir Starmer on Saturday said Russian president Vladimir Putin would ‘sooner or later’ have to ‘come to the table’ as he opened a virtual gathering to drum up support for Ukraine.
‘My feeling is that sooner or later, he’s going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussion,’ Starmer told about 25 fellow leaders who joined the virtual summit.
The talks hosted in a call set up by Downing Street aim to urge participating countries to sign up to a coalition willing to protect any eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.
Starmer told allies the meeting would focus on three points ‘strengthening Ukraine, being prepared to defend any deal ourselves through a coalition of the willing and keeping that pressure on Russia at this crucial time’.
He said Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky had shown that Ukraine was the ‘party of peace because he has agreed to and committed to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire’.
‘Putin is the one trying to delay... if Putin is serious about peace, I think it’s very simple, he has to stop his barbaric attacks on Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire, and the world is watching,’ he added.
‘We can’t allow president Putin to play games with president Trump’s deal,’ Starmer said in comments released by Downing Street late Friday.
‘The Kremlin’s complete disregard for president Trump’s ceasefire proposal only serves to demonstrate that Putin is not serious about peace.
‘If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious, and enduring peace. If they don’t, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war,’ he added.
Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron have been leading efforts to assemble a so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ ever since Trump opened direct negotiations with Moscow last month.
They say the group is necessary—along with US support—to provide Ukraine with security guarantees by deterring Putin from violating any ceasefire.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday also confirmed the call and said he had discussed ‘technical aspects’ of how the ceasefire could be implemented with Macron.
‘Our teams continue to work on clear security guarantees, and they will be ready soon,’ Zelensky said on social media platform X.
Macron called on Russia late Friday to accept the proposal for a ceasefire, and stop making statements aimed at ‘delaying the process’.
The French president also demanded that Moscow stop its ‘acts of violence’ in Ukraine.
Germany on Friday likewise criticised Putin’s response to the US-proposed ceasefire in Ukraine as ‘at best a delaying tactic’.
‘One must seriously question whether there is a genuine interest in working toward a lasting ceasefire and a resolution,’ foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer told reporters.
Turkey has indicated it could play a part in peacekeeping efforts, while Ireland’s prime minister Micheal Martin has said Irish troops would not be deployed in any ‘deterrent force’.
Starmer has said he welcomes any offer of support, raising the prospect that some countries could contribute logistics or surveillance.
British Commonwealth partners Canada, Australia and New Zealand have been involved in early talks and are due to dial in to the summit.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has already rejected the idea of sending Italian troops to Ukraine.
Agence France-Presse . London, United Kingdom 15 March, 2025, 22:12
Russian president Vladimir Putin. | File photo
British prime minister Keir Starmer on Saturday said Russian president Vladimir Putin would ‘sooner or later’ have to ‘come to the table’ as he opened a virtual gathering to drum up support for Ukraine.
‘My feeling is that sooner or later, he’s going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussion,’ Starmer told about 25 fellow leaders who joined the virtual summit.
The talks hosted in a call set up by Downing Street aim to urge participating countries to sign up to a coalition willing to protect any eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.
Starmer told allies the meeting would focus on three points ‘strengthening Ukraine, being prepared to defend any deal ourselves through a coalition of the willing and keeping that pressure on Russia at this crucial time’.
He said Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky had shown that Ukraine was the ‘party of peace because he has agreed to and committed to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire’.
‘Putin is the one trying to delay... if Putin is serious about peace, I think it’s very simple, he has to stop his barbaric attacks on Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire, and the world is watching,’ he added.
‘We can’t allow president Putin to play games with president Trump’s deal,’ Starmer said in comments released by Downing Street late Friday.
‘The Kremlin’s complete disregard for president Trump’s ceasefire proposal only serves to demonstrate that Putin is not serious about peace.
‘If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious, and enduring peace. If they don’t, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war,’ he added.
Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron have been leading efforts to assemble a so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ ever since Trump opened direct negotiations with Moscow last month.
They say the group is necessary—along with US support—to provide Ukraine with security guarantees by deterring Putin from violating any ceasefire.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday also confirmed the call and said he had discussed ‘technical aspects’ of how the ceasefire could be implemented with Macron.
‘Our teams continue to work on clear security guarantees, and they will be ready soon,’ Zelensky said on social media platform X.
Macron called on Russia late Friday to accept the proposal for a ceasefire, and stop making statements aimed at ‘delaying the process’.
The French president also demanded that Moscow stop its ‘acts of violence’ in Ukraine.
Germany on Friday likewise criticised Putin’s response to the US-proposed ceasefire in Ukraine as ‘at best a delaying tactic’.
‘One must seriously question whether there is a genuine interest in working toward a lasting ceasefire and a resolution,’ foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer told reporters.
Turkey has indicated it could play a part in peacekeeping efforts, while Ireland’s prime minister Micheal Martin has said Irish troops would not be deployed in any ‘deterrent force’.
Starmer has said he welcomes any offer of support, raising the prospect that some countries could contribute logistics or surveillance.
British Commonwealth partners Canada, Australia and New Zealand have been involved in early talks and are due to dial in to the summit.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has already rejected the idea of sending Italian troops to Ukraine.
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Trump, Putin begin crucial call on Ukraine ceasefire
Putin said the West would still try to undermine Russia even if it lifted sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
en.prothomalo.com
Trump, Putin begin crucial call on Ukraine ceasefire
AFP
Washington
Published: 18 Mar 2025, 21: 49
This combination of pictures created on 7 November, 2024 shows former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (l) attends a Fox News Townn Hall moderated by US television host Harris Faulkner (out of frame), in Cumming, Georgia, on 15 October, 2024, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) speaks during the BRICS summit in Kazan on 24 October, 2024. AFP
US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin began a critical phone call on Tuesday, with the White House saying the talks on securing a ceasefire in Moscow's invasion were "going well."
Trump has already made clear that he is ready to discuss what parts of occupied Ukraine that Russia will be allowed to keep, saying at the weekend Moscow and Washington are talking about "dividing up certain assets."
The call comes amid concerns in Kyiv and European capitals that the 78-year-old Republican will cede too much ground to Putin, a leader for whom he has repeatedly expressed admiration in the past.
"President Trump is currently in the Oval Office speaking with President Vladimir Putin of Russia since 10:00am (1400 GMT)" deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino said on X almost an hour later.
"The call is going well, and still in progress."
A ceasefire is still far from guaranteed. Kyiv has agreed to halt fighting for 30 days and enter talks with Russia more than three years into Moscow's invasion, but Putin has set a string of conditions.
Trump said on his Truth Social network late Monday that "many elements of a final agreement have been agreed to, but much remains" to be settled.
The talks were "getting down to a very critical stage," Trump added.
Putin speech
Putin gave a hardline anti-Western speech Tuesday before the call, saying the West would still try to undermine Russia even if it lifted sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
He mocked the G7 to wild applause from the audience, saying it was too small to "see on a map."
Kyiv said it expected Moscow to "unconditionally" accept to the ceasefire.
"It is time for Russia to show whether it really wants peace," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Putin does not want peace and is trying to achieve a better position militarily ahead of any halt in fighting.
Russia has attacked Ukraine with near daily barrages of drones and missiles for more than three years, occupying swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine and pressing a grinding advance in recent months.
Putin has said that a ceasefire only benefits Kyiv and not the Russian army, that he said was "advancing".
Moscow has also made clear that it would not accept NATO troops deployed as peacekeeping forces in Ukraine and has said it was against the US arming Ukraine -- demands that he could put forward to Trump.
The push towards a ceasefire began in February when Trump announced last month that he had spoken to Putin -- a surprise call that broke Western efforts to isolate the Russian leader while his invasion continues.
As Trump upended years of US policy he then had a televised shouting match with Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, which led to the United States temporarily suspending its billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv.
End now
On Sunday Trump said he would discuss issues of "land" and "power plants" with Putin -- a likely reference to the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest that fell to Russia in the first days of its invasion.
Zelensky said over the weekend that any discussions over territory should take place at the negotiating table only after a ceasefire.
Trump is intent on delivering on an election pledge to end fighting in Ukraine, blaming his predecessor Joe Biden's policy on Russia for fueling the war.
"It must end NOW," he said on Truth Social.
As Washington and Moscow prepared for the talks, authorities in Russia's Kursk region were evacuating several hundred civilians from areas retaken from Ukraine last summer.
The Kremlin has hailed Moscow's quick offensive there last week as a major success, with Putin calling for Ukrainian soldiers to surrender or be killed.
Russian pensioner Olga Shkuratova's husband was killed last week during fighting as Russia ousted Ukrainian troops from her village of Goncharovka.
"A shell hit. Everything was blown apart in a second. No house, no garage, no barn," the 62-year-old told AFP as she was taken to safety by volunteers.
AFP
Washington
Published: 18 Mar 2025, 21: 49
This combination of pictures created on 7 November, 2024 shows former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (l) attends a Fox News Townn Hall moderated by US television host Harris Faulkner (out of frame), in Cumming, Georgia, on 15 October, 2024, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) speaks during the BRICS summit in Kazan on 24 October, 2024. AFP
US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin began a critical phone call on Tuesday, with the White House saying the talks on securing a ceasefire in Moscow's invasion were "going well."
Trump has already made clear that he is ready to discuss what parts of occupied Ukraine that Russia will be allowed to keep, saying at the weekend Moscow and Washington are talking about "dividing up certain assets."
The call comes amid concerns in Kyiv and European capitals that the 78-year-old Republican will cede too much ground to Putin, a leader for whom he has repeatedly expressed admiration in the past.
"President Trump is currently in the Oval Office speaking with President Vladimir Putin of Russia since 10:00am (1400 GMT)" deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino said on X almost an hour later.
"The call is going well, and still in progress."
A ceasefire is still far from guaranteed. Kyiv has agreed to halt fighting for 30 days and enter talks with Russia more than three years into Moscow's invasion, but Putin has set a string of conditions.
Trump said on his Truth Social network late Monday that "many elements of a final agreement have been agreed to, but much remains" to be settled.
The talks were "getting down to a very critical stage," Trump added.
Putin speech
Putin gave a hardline anti-Western speech Tuesday before the call, saying the West would still try to undermine Russia even if it lifted sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
He mocked the G7 to wild applause from the audience, saying it was too small to "see on a map."
Kyiv said it expected Moscow to "unconditionally" accept to the ceasefire.
"It is time for Russia to show whether it really wants peace," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Putin does not want peace and is trying to achieve a better position militarily ahead of any halt in fighting.
Russia has attacked Ukraine with near daily barrages of drones and missiles for more than three years, occupying swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine and pressing a grinding advance in recent months.
Putin has said that a ceasefire only benefits Kyiv and not the Russian army, that he said was "advancing".
Moscow has also made clear that it would not accept NATO troops deployed as peacekeeping forces in Ukraine and has said it was against the US arming Ukraine -- demands that he could put forward to Trump.
The push towards a ceasefire began in February when Trump announced last month that he had spoken to Putin -- a surprise call that broke Western efforts to isolate the Russian leader while his invasion continues.
As Trump upended years of US policy he then had a televised shouting match with Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, which led to the United States temporarily suspending its billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv.
End now
On Sunday Trump said he would discuss issues of "land" and "power plants" with Putin -- a likely reference to the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest that fell to Russia in the first days of its invasion.
Zelensky said over the weekend that any discussions over territory should take place at the negotiating table only after a ceasefire.
Trump is intent on delivering on an election pledge to end fighting in Ukraine, blaming his predecessor Joe Biden's policy on Russia for fueling the war.
"It must end NOW," he said on Truth Social.
As Washington and Moscow prepared for the talks, authorities in Russia's Kursk region were evacuating several hundred civilians from areas retaken from Ukraine last summer.
The Kremlin has hailed Moscow's quick offensive there last week as a major success, with Putin calling for Ukrainian soldiers to surrender or be killed.
Russian pensioner Olga Shkuratova's husband was killed last week during fighting as Russia ousted Ukrainian troops from her village of Goncharovka.
"A shell hit. Everything was blown apart in a second. No house, no garage, no barn," the 62-year-old told AFP as she was taken to safety by volunteers.
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Rivals report attacks amid US peace push
Russia and Ukraine yesterday accused each other of violating a new agreement to refrain from attacks on energy targets, with scores of drone strikes launched hours after US President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Russia-Ukraine war
Rivals report attacks amid US peace push
Rivals report attacks amid US peace push
- EU says Putin clearly unwilling to make concessions
- Zelensky warns against slowing aid, says will speak to Trump
- Kremlin says Trump, Putin understand each other
- New round of ceasefire talks as early as Sunday
Russia and Ukraine yesterday accused each other of violating a new agreement to refrain from attacks on energy targets, with scores of drone strikes launched hours after US President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Russia's Vladimir Putin.
In the phone call between the US and Russian leaders on Tuesday, Putin rejected a proposed full 30-day ceasefire, which had been sought by Trump and previously accepted by Ukraine.
Putin said he would agree only to pause attacks on energy infrastructure, a proposal that was swiftly accepted by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who nevertheless denounced Moscow for rejecting a more comprehensive truce.
But even that narrow pause appeared in doubt yesterday. Moscow said Ukraine hit an oil pumping station in southern Russia, while Kyiv said Russia had struck hospitals and homes, and knocked out power to some of its railways.
Zelensky said that the continued attacks showed Moscow's words were not aligned with its actions, and that Russia was still not ready for peace. He said the United States should be put in charge of monitoring any ceasefire.
Zelensky also warned against heeding a Kremlin call to halt military aid for his country and announced he would speak with Trump later within hours.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Trump understand each other well and were determined to restore badly damaged ties.
Russia and the United States will decide on dates for future talks in the coming days, the Kremlin said.
"Both today and tomorrow, there will be additional agreements on the exact, precise dates," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about future talks with the US.
Some European leaders said Putin's rejection of Trump's proposed full truce was proof Moscow not seeking peace. The offer to temporarily stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities counted for "nothing" and Trump would have to win greater concessions, Germany's defence minister said.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Moscow cannot be trusted.
