Ukraine and US delegations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 11, 2025

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Ukraine War, Day 1,112: Kyiv’s and Trump’s Officials to Meet in Saudi Arabia

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1428 GMT:

President Volodymyr Zelensky has reiterated that Ukraine is “ready for a 30-day ceasefire format offered by the US side”.

Zelensky explained at a press conference:

I have repeatedly stressed that none of us trust Russia…but we will not play with narratives that we want the war to continue.

I am very serious, and it is important for me to end the war. I want the US President to see this; so that Europe and everybody unites to push Russia toward ending the war.

He assured, “We are fighting for our independence. Therefore, we will not recognize any occupied territories as Russia’s. This is a fact.”

Our people have fought for this, our heroes died. How many injured, how many passed. No one will forget about it… This is the most important red line. We will not let anyone forget about this crime against Ukraine.

UPDATE 1421 GMT:

Without referring to a withdrawal, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says troops in the Kursk region continue in their tasks despite intense Russian pressure.

“The military command is doing what it should do, preserving the maximum of lives of our soldiers,” Zelensky said. He urged a “sober” assessment of the battlefield situation rather than a reaction to Russian information warfare.

Russian forces have reportedly seized a series of villages and entered the city of Sudzha, held by Ukraine since the early days of an offensive last August (see 1044 GMT).

UPDATE 1346 GMT:

In a marked shift of rhetoric from the Trump Administration, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has put a priority on arrangements for Ukraine’s security:

Can Ukraine create a sufficient deterrent against future aggression, against future attack, against future invasion? Because every country in the world has a right to defend themselves, and no one can dispute that, so that will most certainly have to be part of the conversation.

There isn’t a peace to secure until you have a peace. But there’s no way to have a enduring peace without the deterrence peace being a part of it.

UPDATE 1340 GMT:

Four Syrians have been killed in a Russian strike on a grain ship near Odesa in southern Ukraine.

UPDATE 1044 GMT:

Russian State outlet TASS is posting video of troops reclaiming the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region.

Sudzha was taken by Ukrainian forces soon after they crossed the border in a surprise incursion last August.

The monitor Conflict Intelligence Team says Ukraine’s troops are systematically leaving the region.

UPDATE 1000 GMT:

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has confirmed that US aid deliveries to Ukraine, through the Polish logistics hub in Rzeszów-Jasionka, have returned to levels before Donald Trump’s suspension last week.

Sikorski spoke at a press conference alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Andryi Sybiha, who was returning from the talks in Saudi Arabia.

US aerospace company Maxar Technologies has restored Ukraine’s access to high-resolution commercial satellite imagery. The images enable tracking of Russian troop movements, assessment of battlefield conditions, and monitoring of damage to Russian infrastructure.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed, “The pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine has ended.”

UPDATE 0950 GMT:

“Russian sources” say the Kremlin is unlikely to agree to the Ukraine-US deal for an interim ceasefire over Moscow’s 36 1/2-month invasion.

They said Russia feels it has the upper hand on the battlefield and believes the ceasefire is a trap. Any agreement would have to take Russia’s advances into account and provide “guarantees” to Moscow.

Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin is carefully studying the statements issued after the US-Ukraine talks:

We assume that [US] Secretary of State Rubio and [National Security] Advisor Waltz through various channels in the coming days will inform us on the negotiations that took place and the understandings reached.

Peskov said the feedback is needed before the Kremlin comments on the acceptability of a ceasefire .

UPDATE 0623 GMT:

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has snapped about Ukraine-US agreement on an interim ceasefire:

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.

UPDATE 0559 GMT:

A 47-year-old woman has been slain and two people injured by a Russian assault which caused a fire at an infrastructure facility in Kryvyi Rih in south-central Ukraine.

At least four civilians were killed and five injured by Russian attacks on the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday.

Two brothers, aged 11 and 13, and two women, aged 51 and 57, were slain.

Some of the injured civilians are under serious condition, including a 14-year old child.

UPDATE 0554 GMT:

Iceland has allocated €2 million ($2.17 million) to Ukraine’s Energy Support Fund.

The contribution raises Iceland’s total to Ukraine’s energy sector to more than €5.6 million ($6.09 million) during the full-scale Russian invasion.

The funds have been used to buy equipment for energy companies in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine and the US have agreed a 30-day interim ceasefire to halt Russia’s 36 1/2-month invasion.

In talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the American delegation initially accepted Kyiv’s proposal for a partial ceasefire, halting aerial attacks, operations in the Black Sea, and assaults on energy and other infrastructure.

Then the Americans went farther, suggesting a full pause which included assaults on the frontline. They also agreed to restore military aid and intelligence-sharing, suspended last week by Donald Trump after a White House ambush by him and Vice President J.D. Vance on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The developments were a striking turnaround by the Trump Administration, which had effectively supported the Kremlin in both its actions and its rhetoric proclaiming that Zelensky was an illegitimate leader.

After the meeting, a joint statement said the ceasefire can be extended by mutual agreement, although it is subject to acceptance and implementation by Russia.

Zelensky followed up in video address to the Ukrainian people:

Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal — we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it. Now, it is up to the United States to convince Russia to do the same. If Russia agrees, the ceasefire will take effect immediately.

The President indicated that the ceasefire must ensure that Russia does not rearm for more attacks.

Our position remains absolutely clear: Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war, and we want to do everything to achieve it as soon as possible and in a reliable way — so that war does not return.

Trump said he hoped Russia would agree, with the proposal solidified “over the next few days”. He told reporters that he will invite Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky back to the White House.

We’re going to meet with them [the Russians] later on today and tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be able to [work] out a deal. I think the ceasefire is very important. If we can get Russia to do it, that’ll be great. If we can’t we just keep going on and people are gonna get killed, lots of people.

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to see Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.

Russia gave its immediate response overnight with an aerial attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

Konstantin Kosachev, chair of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament, posted:

Russia is advancing [in Ukraine], and therefore it will be different with Russia. 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.

Europe and US: “Ball Is Now in Russia’s Court”

European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement:

This is a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

The ball is now in Russia’s court.

The EU is ready to play its full part, together with its partners, in the upcoming peace negotiations.

The EU’s foreign policy head Kaja Kallas wrote:

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Zelensky and Trump and noted that he is convening a virtual meeting of countries ready to support a ceasefire on Saturday “to discuss next steps”.

“We are ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom,” he said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote, “It seems like the Americans and Ukrainians have taken an important step towards peace. And Europe stands ready to help reach a just and lasting peace.”

French President Emmanuel Macron posted, “The ball is now clearly in Russia’s court. France and its partners remain committed to a solid and lasting peace, backed by robust security guarantees for Ukraine.”

Significantly, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the delegation in Jeddah, also spoke of the ball “now in Russia’s court”, adding, “If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here.”

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who was also in the talks, said, “The Ukrainian delegation today made something very clear: that they share President Trump’s vision for peace.” So the US will “immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine”.