Critical talks between Ukraine and the US have begun in Saudi Arabia, the first meeting between the two sides since the disastrous White House clash between Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky last month.
The head of Ukraine’s peace delegation, Andriy Yermak, has already said the talks started “very constructively”. The UK has been advising Ukraine on how to use the talks to mend ties with Mr Trump.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz are sitting down with Mr Yermak, a top Zelensky aide, as well as the Ukrainian foreign and defence ministers, and Mr Yermak’s deputy. However, Mr Zelensky, who was in Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will not join the talks.
Reports on Tuesday morning also claimed that Mr Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will head to Moscow later this week to meet Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin claimed this morning that the US would inform them of the results of the talks with Ukraine. Mr Witkoff was due to attend the talks with Ukraine today but has not been pictured at the meeting.
Meanwhile, Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on Moscow, killing two people, sparking fires, closing airports and forcing dozens of flights to be diverted, Russian officials said.
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Key Points
- US-Ukraine talks begin in Saudi Arabia
- Peace talks with US have started 'very constructively', says Kyiv
- Russia hit by 'largest ever' Ukrainian drone attack over Moscow, defence ministry claims
- US to watch talks in Saudi Arabia today to check Ukraine's peace intentions
- Ukraine's Air Force says it shot down one missile, 79 drones launched by Russia
Yermak: Peace talks with US have started 'very constructively'
10:07
The head of Ukraine’s peace delegation has said talks with the US in Saudi Arabia have started “very constructively”.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, wrote on Telegram: “The meeting with the US team started very constructively. We are working towards a just and lasting peace.”
We have some more photos of the Ukraine-US meeting
10:00
Below, we have some more photos from today’s talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, posted several pictures of the meeting.
He is leading the Ukrainian delegation.
Mr Yermak is pictured in the centre of the Ukrainian team on the right. On his right is Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha. On Mr Yermak’s left, is Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov. Both are considered loyalists to Mr Yermak.
Across the table, US secretary of state Marco Rubio is sitting opposite his Ukrainian counterpart. US national security advisor Mike Waltz is sitting on Mr Rubio’s right.
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was due to attend the talks but does not seem to be there. He is expected to travel to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin later this week.
The Saudi Arabian foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is pictured sitting at the head of the table on the left. On his left is the country’s national security adviser Musaid Al Aiban.
Video: Ukraine and US hold talks in Jeddah
09:50
,
Tom Watling
In pictures: Ukrainian firefighters battle blaze in Odesa
09:45
,
Tom Watling
Ukrainian firefighters spent hours battling fires in the southern city of Odesa following a Russian drone attack, pictures have shown.
On the eve of talks between Ukraine and the US, both Russia and Kyiv launched massive aerial attacks against one another.
Ukraine and US meet in Saudi Arabia - image
09:43
Ukraine and the United States have begun their meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss how to bring about peace.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry posted a video of the meeting. Below, you can see a still from that video.
First videos show US-Ukraine delegations in meeting
09:37
,
Tom Watling
The first videos are beginning to emerge showing the Ukrainian-US meeting in Saudi Arabia.
We will bring you that footage as soon we can.
It appears that Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, originally scheduled to attend the talks, is not there.
Earlier, we reported that he is expected to fly to Moscow this week to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The meeting between the Ukrainian and US delegations has begun in Jeddah, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. pic.twitter.com/FA1L5YUL4g
— NOELREPORTS (@NOELreports) March 11, 2025
Mapped: Russia's invasion of Ukraine
09:28
,
Tom Watling
While talks are underway between Ukraine and the US in Saudi Arabia, we remind you of the current situation on the front line.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who is leading the American delegation today, has said Ukraine will have to make territorial concessions.
Russia currently occupies around 19 per cent of Ukraine, including the whole of the Luhansk region and around 60 per cent of Donetsk. The two regions are known collectively as Donbas, where there has been fighting since 2014.
Prior to Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russian forces occupied around 7.5 per cent of Ukraine, largely contained to the two above-mentioned regions and the illegally annexed peninsula of Crimea.
Saudi crown prince and Zelensky discuss achieving sustainable peace in Ukraine
09:19
,
Tom Watling
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed efforts to achieve “sustainable fair, and comprehensive” peace in Ukraine, according to a joint statement published on Tuesday by the Saudi state news agency (SPA).
Zelensky and US secretary of state Marco Rubio have been visiting the kingdom since Monday with Ukrainian and US officials set to meet for crunch talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to find a path towards ending the war.
Video: Ukraine arrives in Saudi Arabia for peace talks
09:13
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Tom Watling
JUST IN: The Ukrainian and American delegations are beginning their meeting in Saudi Arabia. pic.twitter.com/0Jkqa5SaoY
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 11, 2025
What to expect from US-Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia
09:11
As US-Ukraine peace talks get underway in Saudi Arabia, below you can read about what to expect during the meeting.
Ukraine-US talks begin in Saudi Arabia
09:00
,
Tom Watling
The first round of peace talks between Ukraine and the US in Saudi Arabia has begun, Kyiv’s foreign ministry has reported.
“A meeting of the Ukrainian and American delegations begins in Jeddah," Ukraine's foreign ministry announced.
Kremlin claims US will inform Russia of results of Ukraine talks
08:54
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Tom Watling
The Kremlin has claimed the US will inform Russia of the results of their talks with a Ukrainian peace delegation.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made these claims this morning, which were then reported by Russian state media.
Earlier, we told you that Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy who will be participating in the US talks with Ukraine in Saudia Arabia, is expected to fly to Moscow later this week. Officials said he would meet with Vladimir Putin.
Two dead in Moscow attack, claims governor
08:48
,
Tom Watling
At least two people have been killed as a result of a massive Ukrainian strike on the Russian capital of Moscow, local officials have claimed.
Regional governor Andrei Vorobyev claimed two employees of a shopping centre in Domodedovo in the southern suburbs of Moscow died after drones hit the parking lot outside.
“The UAV (Unmanned aerial vehicle) hit the parking lot at 5.14 am when the men had just started their shift,” he claimed.
They were identified only as a 38-year-old man and a 50-year-old man.
He said two others remain in hospital with extensive injuries.
Flames light up Moscow sky after Russian capital hit by largest Ukraine drone attack in years
08:37
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Tom Watling
Russian airports resume flights after suspension due to drone attacks
08:34
All airports in Moscow, Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod have resumed flights after a suspension caused by a major overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia, aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said on Tuesday.
Russia's defence ministry said earlier that its air defence units destroyed 337 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 91 of them over the Moscow region.
Trump aide to meet Putin later this week - report
08:25
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Tom Watling
US president Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East will travel to Moscow after talks with the Ukrainian peace delegation to meet with Vladimir Putin, officials have claimed.
Two people briefed on the plans said Steve Witkoff, one of three members of the American peace delegation meeting with Kyiv in Saudi Arabia today and tomorrow, will meet with Mr Putin afterwards.
The reason for the meeting is unclear but no such trip was made to Kyiv after the US held talks with a Russian delegation last month.
Head of Ukrainian delegation lays down agenda ahead of Saudi peace talk meet
07:51
,
Namita Singh
Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff leading Ukraine's delegation in Saudi Arabia issued a statement on X ahead of his meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
Laying down the agenda, Andriy Yermak, said: "Protecting Ukrainian interests, a clear vision of ending the war, and working effectively with our American partners."
Pictured: Firefighters work at site of Russian drone strike in Ukraine
07:43
,
Namita Singh
Video: Kyiv launches ‘largest drone attack’ on Moscow
07:33
,
Namita Singh
Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport resumes flights after suspension, aviation authority says
07:29
,
Namita Singh
Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport has resumed flights after a suspension caused by a major Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said on Tuesday.
Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said earlier Russian air defences have repelled the largest Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow.
Russia's defence ministry said that air defence units destroyed 337 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 91 of them over the Moscow region.
Russia on Witkoff visit: Russia-US contacts are quite intensive
07:20
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Namita Singh
Contacts between Russia and the United States are now quite intensive, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.
Ms Zakharova was commenting on media reports that Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to visit Moscow this week to meet President Vladimir Putin.
Pictured: Damage from Ukrainian drone attack
07:16
,
Namita Singh
Zelensky, Saudi Crown Prince discuss POWs, child deportations ahead of US-Ukraine talks
06:58
,
Namita Singh
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on 10 March, discussing Saudi Arabia's potential role in mediating the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and children forcibly taken to Russia.
The talks came ahead of a key meeting between US and Ukrainian officials on 11 March, where Mr Zelensky’s team will outline a framework for potential peace negotiations with Russia. While his delegation will remain in Jeddah for discussions, Mr Zelensky himself is not expected to participate.
Saudi Arabia has previously facilitated prisoner exchanges between Kyiv and Moscow, positioning itself as a key intermediary in the conflict. The leaders also explored possible security guarantees for Ukraine and cooperation on defense production.
Mr Zelensky emphasised the need for "a just and lasting peace," underscoring Ukraine’s push to strengthen its military capabilities while seeking diplomatic resolutions to the war.
Comment Trump saying ‘Ukraine may not survive’ is a dire warning – and threat
06:56
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Namita Singh
Ukraine could be reduced to a buffer zone – rather than a real country – under Trump’s plan for ‘peace’, writes Mark Almond. There are now serious questions over the US president’s approach to diplomacy.
JD Vance’s cousin - who volunteered in Ukraine - brands VP and Trump ‘useful idiots’ to Putin
06:40
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Namita Singh
The cousin of Vice President JD Vance, who volunteered in Ukraine, has said that the Trump administration is acting like “useful idiots” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Nate Vance is reported to have spent three years fighting in Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Now, in an interview with French outlet Le Figaro, he accused his cousin and President Donald Trump of ambushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the now infamous Oval Office blow-up, reports my colleague Gustaf Kilander.
Ukraine's Air Force says it shot down one missile, 79 drones launched by Russia
06:32
,
Namita Singh
The Ukrainian Air Force said on Tuesday it shot down a ballistic Iskander-M missile and 79 of 126 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack.
Another 35 drones did not reach their targets likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures, it said.
The air force did not specify what happened to the remaining 12 drones.
Zelensky faces a painful choice in Saudi Arabia talks – bend the knee to Trump or lose his country
06:28
,
Namita Singh
There is no chance that Volodymyr Zelensky would find himself stepping off a plane in Jeddah to gird himself for a dish of American humble pie if Donald Trump had not so comprehensively backed Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Until last week, Russia was not winning. Ukraine was not winning either. There was a stalemate in the three-year conflict which Moscow was unlikely to be able to sustain for much longer.
Ukrainian sources said US intelligence assessments sent to Washington reflect the view that the country is not on its knees and that, if it were able to hold the line against Russia for another 18 months, they believe they can collapse the Russian army completely, writes our world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
Deterrence among key questions as army chiefs from 30-plus countries talk about Ukraine force
06:20
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Namita Singh
Ukraine has key questions it wants answered as army chiefs from over 30 countries arrive on Tuesday in Paris for talks on creating an international force to deter future Russian aggression once a ceasefire is established.
They include troop size, location and crucially, military options in the event of a transgression.
The Paris meeting is the most significant culmination so far of French and British efforts to rally nations under a so-called "coalition of the willing" to safeguard Ukraine by establishing a reassurance and deterrence force to dissuade Russia from invading again.
The talks will include nearly all 32 countries of the Nato alliance — notably without the United States — as well as Commonwealth nations and Asian powers Japan and South Korea, said a French military official. Participants will be invited to spell out what their militaries might be able and willing to contribute be that troops, weapons or other assistance.
Some Ukrainian officials are wary of any deal without clearly identified security guarantees. For them, a key question is how such a coalition will respond if Russia violates any future ceasefire agreement. What kind of military response would follow a large-scale offensive by Russia and how quickly will that response materialize?
Western and Ukrainian officials said that, while there is plenty of thinking and resolve, there is no definitive plan for military options yet. First, they must assess what willing countries might be able to offer.
Associated Press
Russia downs 337 Ukrainian drones, 91 over Moscow region, Russia's defence ministry says
05:42
,
Namita Singh
Russia's air defence units destroyed 337 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 91 of them over the Moscow region, Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry said in a post on its Telegram channel that 126 drones were destroyed over the Kursk region that borders Ukraine, while the rest of the drones were downed over eight other Russian regions.
Ukraine's biggest drone attack on Moscow disrupts air and train transport
05:41
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Namita Singh
Russia's aviation watchdog said flights were suspended at all four of Moscow's airports to ensure air safety after alleged drone attacks from Ukraine.
Two other airports, in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions, both east of Moscow, were also closed. Vorobyov said that at least seven apartments were damaged and residents forced to evacuate in a multi-storey building in the Ramenskoye district of the Moscow region, about 50km southeast of the Kremlin.
Rail infrastructure at the train station in the Domodedovo district, about 35km south of Moscow, was damaged as result of falling drone debris, RIA news agency reported.
Baza, a news Telegram channel that is close to Russia's security services, and other Russian news telegram channels posted videos of several residential fires around Moscow that they said were sparked by the attacks.
The strikes came as the United States is pushing for an end to the three-year war that Russia started with its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
On Tuesday, US and Ukrainian teams are scheduled to meet for peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
Governors of Ryazan region, just southeast of the Moscow region, and the Belgorod region on border with Ukraine, also said that their regions were under drone attacks. Several settlements in the Belgorod region were left without power, the regional governor said.
A November drone attack on Moscow, the largest in the war at that point, led to the destruction of at least 34 drones. At least one civilian was killed and dozens of homes wrecked around the capital.
Kyiv has often said that its strikes inside Russia are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Moscow's overall war efforts and are in response to Russia's continued bombing of Ukraine.
Both sides deny targeting civilians in the attacks, but thousands of them have died in the conflict so far, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.
69 Ukrainian drone targeting Moscow shot down in a massive attack, says city’s mayor
05:20
A total of 69 Ukrainian drones targeting the Russian capital were shot down in a massive attack on Tuesday morning, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
The attack, the biggest targeting Moscow in months, came as a Ukrainian delegation was set to meet with America's top diplomat in Saudi Arabia about ending the three-year war with Russia.
At least 11 of the drones were shot down in the Ramensky and Domodedovo districts of the Moscow region surrounding the Russian capital, Mr Sobyanin said on the messaging app Telegram.
He didn't specify where the other drones were shot down, noting only that they were "flying towards Moscow."
One person dead in Ukraine's 'biggest drone attack' on Moscow
05:16
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Namita Singh
At least one person was killed and three more wounded as a result of the Ukrainian drone attack, alleged the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov.
The attack damaged seven apartments in a residential building in the Ramensky district, he said.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the roof of a building in Moscow also sustained damage, which he described as "insignificant."
Footage of the building, published by Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti, showed a charred spot on the facade of a multi-story residential building near the roof, with bits of the building's lining stripped off.
Flights have been restricted in and out of four Moscow airports, including Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky to the south of the city and Sheremetyevo to the north, according to Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia.
Train traffic through the Domodedovo railway station has also been briefly halted, local officials reported.
‘No military solution’, says Rubio ahead of peace talks in Saudi Arabia
04:00
,
Namita Singh
There is “no military solution” to the conflict in Ukraine, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said ahead of first official meeting with Ukraine on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia after the disastrous encounter between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump in the White House on 28 February.
Ukraine’s delegation, led by chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, will meet Mr Rubio, and other senior White House officials in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
Ukraine’s position in the talks would be “fully constructive”, said Mr Zelensky.
On his way to Jeddah, Mr Rubio told reporters on the plane: “The most important thing that we have to leave here with is a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to do difficult things, like the Russians are going to have to do difficult things, to end this conflict or at least pause it in some way, shape or form.
“I think both sides need to come to an understanding that there’s no military solution to this situation.
“The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously it’ll be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014.”
Ukraine launches drone attacks targeting Moscow, says Russia
03:58
Russian air defence units destroyed at least 11 Ukrainian drones flying towards Moscow, the mayor of the Russian capital said, while aviation authorities announced suspending flights at two of the airports serving the city.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the drones were downed over the Ramenskoye and Domodedovo districts of the Moscow region. Both districts lie about 40km to 50 km south and southeast of the Kremlin.
"According to preliminary information, there is no damage or injuries," Mr Sobyanin said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia's aviation watchdog said that flights were suspended at the Zhukovo and Domodedovo airports to ensure air safety following the reports of the attacks.
The attacks could not be independently verified. Ukraine has not issued any comments.
Elon Musk blames ‘Ukraine area’ for cyber attack on X
03:39
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Namita Singh
Elon Musk has claimed that a cyber attack targeting his social media platform X originated from "IP addresses in the Ukraine area," as his business empire faces mounting challenges following his entry into the Trump administration.
Speaking to Fox Business on Monday, Mr Musk did not provide evidence for his assertion nor explicitly suggest that stat