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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US secretary of state Marco Rubio have arrived in Saudi Arabia in preparation for crunch peace talks on Tuesday.
Mr Zelensky has said a team including his chief of staff Andriy Yermak, foreign minister Andriy Sybiha and defence minister Rustem Umerov will take part in the talks on Tuesday and Mr Rubio will lead the American team.
The Ukraine president’s officials will try to repair the damage done during visit to Washington descended into an Oval Office argument with US president Donald Trump and vice president JD Vance.
Ukraine is expected to propose an air and sea ceasefire during a meeting with American officials tomorrow to curry favour with an administration that has suggested Kyiv is not serious about peace. The US held meetings with a Russian delegation last month.
Speaking to reporters aboard his plane, Mr Rubio said he and national security adviser Mike Waltz would take stock of Ukraine’s responses.
“What we want to know is, are they interested entering some sort of peace conversation and general outlines of the kinds of things they could consider, recognising that it has been a costly and bloody war for the Ukrainians. They have suffered greatly and their people have suffered greatly,” Mr Rubio said.
Dutch PM says Europe must take more responsibility for security
The Dutch prime minister says Europe must take more responsibility for the continent’s security and strengthen its defence.
Dick Schoof said he discussed the war in Ukraine with European Council President António Costa today.
“As Europe, we must take more responsibility for our own security,” he said in a post on X.
“To do this, we need to significantly strengthen our European defence, while keeping an eye on financial stability and manageable debts. We also talked about migration and the importance of strengthening European competitiveness.”
His comments come ahead of a virtual world leaders’ meeting on Saturday, hosted by Sir Keir Starmer, to progress plans on getting peacekeeping troops on the ground in Ukraine.
Rachel Clun10 March 2025 21:00
Zelensky’s top aide met with UK advisor ahead of peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff met with a UK advisor ahead of peace talks with the US on Tuesday.
While US President Donald Trump was optimistic ahead of the talks, saying he believed the countries were “going to make a lot of progress”, relations have been strained between the US and Ukraine.
The talks come less than two weeks after an explosive and public argument in the White House between Trump, JD Vance and Zelensky.
UK national security advisor Jonathan Powell met with Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak ahead of the meeting, and on social media Yermak said the pair “exchanged views” on a path to peace.
Rachel Clun10 March 2025 20:00
Collapse in Brits who believe US is an ally under Trump
The number of Britons who believe the US is an ally or friendly rival has collapsed under Donald Trump, a YouGov poll has found.
Since December, the portion who said they considered the US either a friend and ally or a friendly rival has fallen from two thirds (67 per cent) to just over a half (53 per cent).
By contrast, the number who said the US has an unfriendly relationship with the UK or is a “hostile threat” jumped from 12 per cent to 30 per cent. It comes amid the president’s aggressive stance on global trade, threatening tariff wars and even a US takeover of Canada and Greenland. And the drop also follows Mr Trump’s Oval Office clash with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The group most likely to still see America under Mr Trump as a friendly country or an ally of the UK are Reform UK voters, with two-thirds still considering the US positively.
Labour voters were least likely to take a positive view of the relationship, at just 51 per cent.
Archie Mitchell10 March 2025 19:00
UK Defence chief to meet counterparts in Ukraine defence talks
Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin is meeting with counterparts in Paris tomorrow to discuss a “coalition of the willing” agreement on defending Ukraine.
Earlier on Monday, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reiterated Britain’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.
“We’re fully committed to working with Ukraine, supporting Ukraine, working with the United States and our informal partners to drive progress towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and that is our focus,” the spokesperson said.
Rachel Clun10 March 2025 18:00
Nato support for Ukraine is ‘unwavering’, head says
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the group’s support for Ukraine is “unwavering” following a meeting in Sarajevo on Monday.
“Important to be in Sarajevo today. #NATO remains firmly committed to the sovereignty & territorial integrity of [Ukraine]. Political leadership is key to further progress & stability. NATO’s support is unwavering,” he said on X.
Rachel Clun10 March 2025 17:00
Zelensky meets Saudis ahead of peace talks
Volodymyr Zelensky has begun meeting with Saudi officials after touching down in Jeddah this afternoon.
Zelensky met with the Deputy Governor of Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz, ahead of his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sulman later today.
The Ukrainian president’s visit comes ahead of US-Ukraine peace talks, but he won’t be part of those meetings – they will be led by his chief of staff, and ht US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rachel Clun10 March 2025 16:28
Starmer and Trump speak ahead of Saudi Arabia peace talks
Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to Donald Trump ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia about a peace deal to end the Ukraine war.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump ahead of the US Ukraine dialogue in Saudi Arabia.
“The Prime Minister said that UK officials had been speaking to Ukraine officials over the weekend and they remain committed to a lasting peace.
“The Prime Minister said he hoped there would be a positive outcome to the talks that would enable US aid and intelligence sharing to be restarted.”
Archie Mitchell10 March 2025 16:14
Zelensky has arrived in Saudi Arabia
Volodymyr Zelensky has landed in Jeddah ahead of peace talks between Ukraine and the US tomorrow.
The Ukrainian president is not leading his country’s delegation at the talks – that’s the job of his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, alongside Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.
They will meet with the American team led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following a “constructive call” between Rubio and Sybiha on Friday.
Both sides hope to find an agreement for ending the war, but the talks come after a tense few weeks of US-Ukrainian relations following a disaterous White House meeting between Donald Trump, his vice president JD Vance and Zelensky.
Rachel Clun10 March 2025 15:43
Ukraine military says it has hit Russian oil refineries
Ukraine’s military says it has struck two Russian oil refineries in the past two days, in what it described as a strategic hit on Russian supplies.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a translated post on social media that they struck an oil refinery in the Ryazan region and the next day hit a refinery in the Samara region.
The staff post said the Ryazan facility produced 840,000 tons of high-grade jet fuel, but details of the actual damage were being clarified.
Rachel Clun10 March 2025 15:24
Ukraine has sought peace since the start of the war, Zelensky says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his hopes for peace today ahead of talks between US and Ukrainian officials on a potential peace agreement tomorrow.
Zelensky was heading to Saudi Arabia today ahead of tomorrow’s talks in Jeddah to meet with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
In a post on X, Zelensky wrote: “Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason it continues is Russia.
“I am grateful to every unit and every brigade defending Ukraine’s positions, ensuring the destruction of the occupiers, and making every effort to provide our country with the strength needed to bring peace closer.”
Rachel Clun10 March 2025 15:05
