US aid deliveries to Ukraine back to previous levels, Polish foreign minister confirms, as Kyiv agrees to 30-day ceasefire – Europe live

A Ukrainian attack on a factory in Russia’s Kursk region killed four people, Russia said, as its troops reclaim territory from Kyiv’s forces in the border area.

“Four employees of the company were killed, among them three men and one woman,” acting governor Alexander Khinshtein said on social media, adding that the attack hit an agricultural plant in the village of Kozyrevka, east of where fierce fighting between Moscow and Kyiv’s forces is under way, AFP reported.

The Kremlin said it was waiting for the US to inform it on the proposals discussed with Ukraine on Tuesday.

“We assume that state secretary [Marco] Rubio and [national security] adviser [Michael] Waltz through various channels in the coming days will inform us on the negotiations that took place and the understandings reached,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, adding Moscow did not rule out a “high-level” phone call with the US.

He also said that the Russian army was making good progress in its drive to drive Ukrainian troops from the Kursk border region, Reuters reported.

“The information provided by our military shows that our troops are successfully advancing in the Kursk Region, liberating areas that were under the control of the militants. The dynamic is good,” Peskov told reporters.

Outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed Wednesday Ukraine’s backing for a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire plan, saying the decision on the next steps now rested with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The idea of a 30-day ceasefire is an important and correct step towards a just peace for Ukraine… Now it’s up to Putin,” Scholz said on social media platform X.

The outcome of the Jeddah talks was also welcomed by Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, who said the ceasefire proposal was positive news.

Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski has just confirmed that US aid deliveries to Ukraine coming through the Polish logistics hub in Rzeszów-Jasionka have returned to previous levels seen before the brief pause.

Sikorski spoke at a press conference alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Andryi Sybiha, who stopped in Poland on his way back from Jeddah.

Sybiha, speaking in Polish, said that Ukraine was “the country that wants to end this war, and [achieve] a just, lasting peace the most.”

He added that Ukraine was ready to form a negotiating team to work on a roadmap to reach ceasefire with Russia.

Last night, US and Ukraine leaders agreed on resuming the aid deliveries and intelligence sharing as part of a broader peace.

In a cheeky comment just days after he publicly clashed with US state secretary Marco Rubio and Trump aide Elon Musk over the technology, Sikorski also added that “Starlinks are also still working.”

The center-right opposition Demokraatit Party won the most votes in Greenland’s parliamentary elections, ahead of the nationalist, most ardently pro-independence party Naleraq.

The result is a surprise, as admitted by Demokraatit’s leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who said “we did not expect the election to have this outcome.”

His party led a domestically focused campaign and more than tripled its result from the 2021 election, while Naleraq more than doubled its support.

Both parties support Greenland’s growing independence from Denmark, but disagree on the timeline, the extent of the process, and potential links with the US.

Previously governing parties of the left-green coalition of Inuit Ataqatigitt and Siumut parties came in third and fourth place, respectively.

As no party won a majority in the 31-seat parliament, political leaders are now expected to start negotiations about forming the next government.

“We are open to talking to all parties and seeking unity. Especially with what is happening abroad,” Nielsen said, indicating he would reject Donald Trump’s attempts to “get” Greenland “one way or another”.

Denmark’s Berlingske newspaper noted that voters sent Copenhagen a clear signal that Greenland will move towards more autonomy and potentially independence, but most likely “slowly and carefully.”

Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminium imports took effect on Wednesday “with no exceptions or exemptions”, as his campaign to reorder global trade norms in favour of the US stepped up.

The US president’s action to bulk up protections for American steel and aluminium producers placed tariffs of 25% on all imports of the metals.

The European Commission responded almost immediately, saying it would impose counter tariffs on €26bn ($28bn) worth of US goods from next month.

“We deeply regret this measure,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a written statement, as Brussels announced it would be “launching a series of countermeasures” in response to the “unjustified trade restrictions”.

Speaking in Strasbourg in the last hour, von der Leyen added that “jobs are at stake, prices up” as a result of Trump’s move.

“Nobody needs that on both sides, neither in the European Union, nor in the United States,” she argued.

EU countermeasures will be introduced in two steps, she said, starting from 1 April, and fully in place from 13 April.

“In the meantime, we will always remain open to negotiations. We firmly believe that in a world fraught with geoeconomic and political uncertainties, it is not in our common interest to burden our economies with such tariffs,” she said.

EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said the US measures “take us in a wrong direction,” as he said that during his visit to Washington last month “it was clear that the EU is not the problem, making today’s measures even more unjustified.”

“The disruption caused by tariffs is avoidable if the US administration accepts our extended hand and works with us to strike a deal,” he said.

For full coverage of the business fallout, follow our special live blog here:

When Andriy Yermak, top official in the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, posted a handshake emoji halfway through yesterday’s meeting on social media, it became clear that the US-Ukraine talks were going in the right direction.

Or, as our defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh described it: “Dizzying turnaround in US-Ukraine relations leaves all eyes on Russia.”

Now, for the first time, Russia is being asked to make a commitment, though it is unclear what will follow if it does sign up.

The US intends to speak to Russia in the next 24-48 hours to get an early indication as to whether Putin is willing to agree to Trump’s plan on ceasefire. If so, this could lead to proper peace talks, including all sorts of potentially contentious issues on future security guarantees for Ukraine.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said the ball was “now in Russia’s court” after the negotiations concluded. “If they [Russia] say no then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here,” he said.

(One could argue there are some other hints about that too, but hey.)

Let’s see what’s the aftermath of the Jeddah talks, and what’s next for Ukraine.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, who took part in yesterday’s talks, is in Warsaw this morning, and expected to speak to the media in the next half hour. I will bring you all the key lines.

Later today, defence ministers of France, Germany, UK, Italy and Poland are meeting in Paris as part of discussions about Europe’s response to peace talks and potential Europe-led security guarantee for Ukraine.

Separately, I will also keep you up to date on:

• the overnight surprising results in Greenland’s ‘most consequential’ elections,

• the European Union’s response to Trump’s tariffs,

• and what’s next for Portugal after the government in Lisbon lost a vote of confidence last night, paving the way for snap elections.

It’s Wednesday, 12 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.

Good morning.

Russia’s foreign intelligence chief, Sergei Naryshkin, held a phone call on Tuesday with the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, John Ratcliffe, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday.

They discussed issues of cooperation between their respective intelligence agencies and crisis management.

A Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih killed a 47-year-old woman and caused a fire at an infrastructure facility, Dnirpopetrovsk regional governor, Serhiy Lysak, said on Wednesday.

The attack also injured at least two other people, local official Oleksandr Vilkul said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, says Moscow will under no conditions accept the presence of Nato troops in Ukraine.

In an interview published in Russian media, he also said that Russia would not make decisions that jeopardise lives, Reuters reports, and that Russia discussed the situation around Iran’s nuclear deal with the US and maintains some contact on the issue with Europe.

Russia is open to Trump’s idea of meeting with China, he added.

Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, a joint statement says.

Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that the US proposed taking a full interim ceasefire, stopping missile, drone, and bomb attacks, not only in the Black Sea, but also along the entire frontline.

“Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal – we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it,” Zelenskyy said.

The United States said it would immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine, Reuters reports. Ukrainian officials said late on Tuesday that both aid and intelligence sharing have resumed.

In Tuesday’s joint statement, the two countries said they agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources.

The minerals agreement has been in works for weeks and was thrown into limbo after an acrimonious White House meeting on 28 February between the US President Donald Trump, who has long been a Ukraine aid sceptic, and Zelenskyy.

Both sides also stressed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process, particularly during the ceasefire, including the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.

Both sides agreed to name their negotiating teams and immediately begin peace negotiations.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that Moscow would make its own decisions about the conflict in Ukraine after Kyiv said it was ready to support Washington’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, TASS reported.

“The shaping of the position of the Russian Federation does not take place abroad due to some agreements or efforts of some parties. The formation of the position of the Russian Federation takes place inside the Russian Federation,” she said.

Donald Trump has said he is ready to welcome Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy back to the White House and expects to speak to Russian president Vladimir Putin this week after Ukraine said it was ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire.

The apparent breakthrough on a ceasefire deal came after talks between US and Ukrainian teams in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. US representatives will now head to Russia for talks.

Asked by a reporter about the prospects of a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump answered: “Well, I hope it will be over the next few days, I’d like to see.

“I know we have a big meeting with Russia tomorrow and some great conversations hopefully will ensue.”

Here are the other key recent developments.

• Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said the ball was “now in Russia’s court” after Ukraine said it was ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire. “If they [Russia] say no then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here,” he said. “Ukrainians are ready to stop the fighting, they’re ready to stop the shooting, they’re ready to get to the table,” Rubio told reporters in Jeddah, after negotiations between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.

• An influential Russian lawmaker, commenting on a ceasefire proposal agreed between US and Ukrainian officials, said on Wednesday that any deal would be on Moscow’s terms, not Washington’s. “Russia is advancing [in Ukraine], and therefore it will be different with Russia,” said Konstantin Kosachev, chair of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament, in a post on Telegram. “Any agreements – with all the understanding of the need for compromise – on our terms, not on American. And this is not boasting, but understanding that real agreements are still being written there, at the front. Which they should understand in Washington, too.”

• The US would “immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine”, said US national security adviser Mike Waltz. “We’ve gone from if the war is going to end to how the war is going to end,” Waltz told reporters alongside Rubio. Waltz, who said he would speak in the coming days with his Russian counterpart, credited the Ukrainians with agreeing on the need to “end the killing, to end the tragic meat-grinder of people and national treasure”. He added: “The Ukrainian delegation today made something very clear: that they share President Trump’s vision for peace.”

• Hours after Ukraine’s declaration, Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv, with mayor Vitali Klitschko saying air defences were engaged in repelling the strikes. Strikes were also reported by the RIA news agency on Kharkiv. RIA cited the Ukrainian ministry of digital transformation, which said air raid alerts were issued in Kyiv ten regions.

• Washington also revived plans for a controversial minerals deal that could give the US a 50% stake in revenues from the sale of Ukraine’s mineral wealth. Trump has said that the deal would provide implicit security guarantees by linking US economic interests with Ukraine’s security.

• British prime minister Keir Starmer congratulated Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a “remarkable breakthrough” with the ceasefire proposal. “This is an important moment for peace in Ukraine and we now all need to redouble our efforts to get to a lasting and secure peace as soon as possible. As both American and Ukrainian delegations have said, the ball is now in the Russian court. Russia must now agree to a ceasefire and an end to the fighting too.” He said he would convene a leaders meeting on Saturday to discuss the next steps, adding: “We are ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom.”

• Ukraine’s battlefield positions have been under heavy pressure, particularly in Russia’s Kursk region where Moscow’s forces have launched a push to flush out Kyiv’s troops, which had been trying to hold a patch of land as a bargaining chip.
  On Tuesday, Ukraine launched its biggest drone attack yet on Moscow and the surrounding region, showing Kyiv can also land major blows after a steady stream of Russian missile and drone attacks, one of which killed 14 people on Saturday. The Tuesday attack, in which 337 drones were downed over Russia, killed at least three employees of a meat warehouse and caused a brief shutdown at Moscow’s four airports.

• Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday that he informed a number of European counterparts about the “milestone” talks with the US where Kyiv said it was ready to support Washington’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Sybiha, who took part in the Jeddah talks, said that afterwards he talked to several European foreign ministers, including British foreign secretary David Lammy and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, “about the outcomes of the milestone meeting”.

• Ukrainian officials told the US that European partners must participate in any peace negotiations, Sybiha said. “We adhere to the position: no decisions on the long-term security of Europe without Europe,” Sybiha said in a social media post. On Wednesday, Sybiha will be in Warsaw for talks with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement.